Lyna Mohamad
The emergence of digital technologies in the past few years resulted in dramatic shift in the nature of employment and the way work is carried out.
This was said by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) Ir Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof during the opening ceremony of focus group discussion for research project on ‘The Readiness of TVET Institutions for IR4.0 in Southeast Asia’ and signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation for Vocational and Technical Education and Training (SEAMEO Voctech) and ASEAN Future Workforce Council (AFWC) yesterday.
A joint study by Oxford Economics and CISCO finds that an estimated 6.6 million workers will be required in ASEAN and they will have to adapt their skills to remain employable during the increased adoption of digital technologies over the next decade.
It is due to this that private sectors and education providers, including technical and vocational education and training (TVET), should collaborate to ensure the workforce has required skills and minimise job mismatching, it added.
The permanent secretary said Brunei Darussalam is strengthening its digitisation efforts through the implementation of the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 where it has identified manpower and talent development as a major strategic thrust that needs to be developed to ensure full participation of the population and workforce during the digital era.
He said to realise these goals, numerous stakeholders, including government, industries and TVET providers, need to work together.
The permanent secretary said the MoU between SEAMEO Voctech and AFWC will help the Sultanate move closer to the nation’s vision of a Smart Nation by preparing a suitable workforce for the future.
He expressed hope that the partnership of the signatories will be a platform to exchange experiences and best practices to strengthen the quality of TVET in Brunei and the region.
Ir Haji Mohammad Nazri said the MoU complements other initiatives by stakeholders in talent and manpower development such as the introduction of the Brunei Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry Competency Framework by the Manpower Industry Steering Committee Working Group for ICT Sector last year.
This framework aims to ensure the Sultanate’s ICT professionals will have the relevant skills and develop their careers in a dynamic industry new roles and skills created at a rapid pace.
The permanent secretary said it contributes to MTIC’s target of having 6,000 in the infocommunications sector by 2025.
He also commended SEAMEO Voctech for leading an inter-centre regional research project to evaluate the preparedness of TVET institutions in digital technologies as well as solicit input and recommendations from stakeholders for growth in Southeast Asian nations.
