Sarawak Skills Miri Branch Teams Up with Sarawak Ministry of Education to Implement Skills Enhancement Program in Long Tuma, Lawas

(Miri, 15th) – The Sarawak Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD), together with the Sarawak Skills Development Centre Miri Branch (Sarawak Skills Miri), recently co-organized the "Community Empowerment Program Through Skills Enhancement in TVET" at Kampung Long Tuma, Lawas. The two-day program, held from August 8th to 9th, took place at Dewan Penghulu Lakai Balang in Long Tuma.

This is the third large-scale event held by the Sarawak Skills Miri Branch as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, mobilizing 18 staff members from Sarawak Skills Miri Branch, Sarawak Agriculture Vocational Training Institute (SAVTI), and MEITD. The program aimed to introduce Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to local residents and to further strengthen connections with the Long Tuma community and its surrounding areas.

Ts. Syuhaira Mohd Zin, the Campus Director of Sarawak Skills Miri Branch, stated that this program is highly significant as it serves as an important channel to directly promote TVET to students, parents, and the community in Long Tuma and neighboring regions. It also provides participants with a platform to acquire basic skills applicable in daily life. She expressed hope that participants would seize the opportunity to accumulate more experience and knowledge to realize their potential.

She added that the program received an enthusiastic response, indirectly helping Sarawak Skills Miri Branch establish closer ties with the local community, government departments and agencies, community leaders, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), all working together to advance the TVET sector.

This event attracted 81 participants from Long Tuma and nearby regions. The courses offered included a Basic Electrical Wiring Course (20 participants), Hydroponics Farming Course (20 participants), Basic Palm Oil Planting and Fertilization Course (20 participants), and a Basic Arduino Course (21 students from SMK Lawas).

During the event, Sharifah Zahidah Binti Wan Hassan, Assistant Secretary of the Talent Development Division of the Sarawak Ministry of Education, represented MEITD in handing over 150-watt solar lamps to 21 villages in the Lawas Damit area to recognize their contributions in making the program a success. Penghulu Davis Parag Udan was also present at the handover ceremony.

As most rural residents have limited technical skills, Sarawak Skills Miri Branch hopes that through such initiatives, vocational skills training can be extended to rural communities, providing systematic and safe operational methods for local residents to master skills in specific fields and thus improve their quality of life. This program also marks another important effort by Sarawak Skills Miri Branch to continuously strengthen relations with rural communities.