Govt launches Bakat Madani initiative to empower talent development

 Consolidating the efforts of GLCs, GLICs and Petronas, it aims to provide training and job opportunities to 25,000 beneficiaries by 2027.

Finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said Bakat Madani provides a clear pathway for young Malaysians from education to training, certification and employment. (MoF pic)

SEREMBAN:

Nearly 8,000 youths have received scholarships worth a total of RM250 million annually over the past five years under talent development programmes run by government-linked investment companies, GLCs, and Petronas, says finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan.

Launching the government’s Bakat Madani talent development programme at Bandar Sri Sendayan here today, Amir said more than 90% of these youths come from low- and middle-income families.

He said the programme consolidates the efforts of Petronas, GLICs and GLCs, and provides a clear pathway for young Malaysians, from education to training, certification and employment.

“They now have the opportunity to pursue career paths that will secure a better future for themselves and their families,” he said in his keynote speech.

Present were Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Negeri Sembilan caretaker menteri besar Aminuddin Harun.

Besides Petronas, the six primary GLICs taking part in Bakat Madani are Khazanah Nasional Bhd, EPF, Retirement Fund Inc, Permodalan Nasional Bhd, Lembaga Tabung Haji, and the Armed Forces Fund Board.

The programme aims to provide skills training, job opportunities and greater social mobility to 25,000 beneficiaries from mid-2026 through 2027.

It is built on three core pillars – providing quality job placements in Petronas and GLIC and GLC networks, widening job and training opportunities across high-growth and high-value sectors, and empowering technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions.

Khazanah chief corporate officer Nasri Sallehuddin said K-Youth, the sovereign wealth fund’s talent development programme, has trained 35,000 youth since its inception in 2023.

“Khazanah and its related companies hope to contribute another 15,000 trainees (to the Bakat Madani programme’s target of 25,000) by 2027,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the programme’s launch.

Nasri expressed hope that more parents would have confidence in TVET, saying such graduates would be well equipped for careers in sectors such as semiconductors.

“In the past, parents aspired for their children to enter the science stream. With programmes such as Bakat Madani, we see that our children have better opportunities in technical fields than before,” he said.

Tabung Haji CEO Mustakim Mohamad said he wanted young Malaysians and their parents to understand that technical and vocational careers could also be their first choice of employment.

He said TH also launched its Daya Insani programme today, which aims to equip asnaf (zakat beneficiaries) and orphans with vocational skills.

He said TH would provide Daya Insani participants with job placements through its strategic partners, including companies in Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Kedah and hospitals under KMI Healthcare. - FMT