Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, has proposed for the Johor Talent Development Council (JTDC) to be established.
A special meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister I, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi and attended by Cabinet Ministers in Kuala Lumpur. Also present were the Minister of Higher Education, Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir; Minister of Education, Fadhlina Sidek; Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh; Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Dato’ Sri Abdul Rahman Mohamad; Chairman of the Education & Information Committee, Aznan bin Tamin; Chairman of the Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee, Lee Ting Han; Representatives of Ministries & Agencies; Senior Officers; as well as the Heads of Federal, State, and Agency Departments.
“The issue of lack of skilled manpower needs to be overcomed to meet the talent needs of the industry in parallel with the creation of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) in an effort to realise Johor as a developed state by 2030.”
“Advertised job vacancies totaling 74,710 since 1st January 2024, indicate a sharp increase in the number of jobs. Only 51,946 job applications were recorded. According to statistics, 22.3% of graduates in Johor work in non-equivalent jobs, while 20% to 60% of Vocational College graduates work outside of their field due to mismatches,” he said in his official Facebook post.
Among the matters discussed and agreed upon at the meeting were:-
1. Making JTDC a one-stop centre together with the Invest Malaysia Facilitation Centre Johor (IMFC-J)) to facilitate all operations, recruitment, and the entry of investors in Johor.
2. Making JTDC a liaison centre between HEIs and industry to increase talent development programmes, skill improvement, and direct career placement.
3. Carry out a study of the success of existing programmes and courses, as well as the retargeting of courses that coincide with the needs of the industry.
4. Making JTDC a data collection centre for ministries, agencies, and stakeholders for workforce studies and industry needs.
Onn Hafiz also expressed confidence that the establishment is a two-pronged framework that is able to increase the marketability of graduates as well as meet the needs of the industry, especially in Johor and Malaysia as a whole.
“With a comprehensive policy and strong support from all stakeholders, I am confident that JTDC will play an important role in making Johor a developed state while also serving as the primary reference for meeting the demand for sufficient and sustainable skilled manpower.”
 in an effort to realise Johor as a developed state by 2030.”){kind=link}