Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB), through its subsidiary, EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (EduCity) launched the PERANTIS Iskandar programme, a dedicated Human Capital Development programme aimed at revitalising economic development for the Iskandar Malaysia region. The programme, which is modelled after Germany’s highly successful apprenticeship programme, was designed to meet industry demands for qualified technical talent.
Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Ir. Haji Hasni Mohammad, during the PERANTIS Iskandar launch on the 6th of December 2021, said, “This programme undoubtedly will create a win-win solution all around for the apprentices to upskill themselves in relevant key fields as we continue to navigate and develop the landscape of the Johor Digital Economy. This programme will also benefit companies in high demand industries throughout Johor access a larger pool of talent with better technical skills.” He said before witnessing a document exchanging event to commemorate the commencement of a series of unique talent development programmes for Malaysia’s young and unemployed graduates.
According to IIB President and Chairman of EduCity Iskandar, Datuk Ir. Khairil Anwar Ahmad, “PERANTIS Iskandar aims to help alleviate economic challenges for the people of Johor, by helping to develop 200 high-value jobs in this area. We look forward to increasing our role in developing the talent pool, which includes upskilling programmes and new education and training partnerships. Among the industries involved in this programme are Artificial Intelligence, the Digital Automotive Industry, and the Creative industry, all centred around IR4.0.”
EduCity’s agreements with important government entities to encourage talent development in the country were also announced at the occasion.
Wan Ahmad Saifuddin Wan Ahmad Radzi, EduCity’s Managing Director, highlighted the importance of these collaborations as another step towards making the PERANTIS Iskandar programme available nationwide. “We are excited as these collaborations will see us working together to strengthen the talent ecosystem for the youth and unemployed graduates, in line with the government’s efforts to drive Malaysia towards a high-income nation through academic funding programme, TVET certification and professional accreditation.
EduCity, a subsidiary of IIB, was awarded RM5 million by the Ministry of Finance to implement the PERANTIS Iskandar programme. The programme encompasses a combination of an up to six-month training and on-the-job attachment with guaranteed one-year employment with the participating companies at the end of the training period. EduCity is currently designing a 2.0 version that would be industry-funded and could potentially run for a longer duration.
One-stop centre for information on EduCity can be viewed at https://linktr.ee/educityofficial.
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