Offer of workers for Iskandar

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who declined to name the countries, said leaders had enquired about the employment opportunities when projects in Iskandar Malaysia take off.

"They foresee the potential of Iskandar Malaysia, especially the large workforce we will need in order to make it a success," he said after launching two human capital and skills development projects organised by Khazanah National Bhd at Persada Johor yesterday.

However, he said the government would give priority to locals, as it hoped to minimise the number of foreigners to be recruited, particularly in the construction sector.

Ghani praised Khazanah for organising the human capital project as it could serve as a template for future initiatives in training Malay-sians for jobs within the development corridor.

The first programme, Iskandar Malaysia Green Programme (Graduate Employability and Enhancement), will focus on providing participants, who are mostly fresh graduates, with opportunities to improve their skills. It will assist them in gaining work experience.

Participants will attend a two-month training programme, followed by a 10-month internship with selected companies.

The Iskandar Regional Development Authority will oversee the programme and act as the coordinator between graduates and companies.

The other programme, Iskandar Malaysia-Construction and Industry Development Board Collaboration Programme, is a joint initiative between Irda and Iskandar Investment Bhd, the investment arm of Khazanah for Iskandar Malaysia.

It focuses on generating experienced skilled workers to meet the anticipated demand for construction workers in Iskandar Malaysia.

It is open to a wide group, including secondary school- leavers, those already in the construction industry but aiming to polish existing skills, and those who wish to pursue careers in construction site supervision and other related professional fields.

A total of 350 people will take part in both programmes.

Khazanah managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar said similar programmes organised by the government investment company had produced good results, with some of the participants landing good jobs based on their performance during the training programme.

Ghani said Iskandar Malaysia was expected to create 800,000 jobs over the next 25 years.

According to Irda figures, RM33 billion in committed private sector investment has been generated for the development corridor over the past two years.