Putrajaya, 27 May 2023 – Deputy Prime Minister, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi has officiated the Majlis Kemuncak National Training Week (NTW) 2023 organised by the Ministry of Human Resources and HRD Corp at an event held in Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), today. The event was also graced by the Minister of Human Resources, Yang Berhormat Tuan V. Sivakumar.

Held between 22 May to 28 May, NTW 2023 is a week of free nationwide training events and activities that bring together organisations and individuals from diverse backgrounds. The training programmes were aimed at Malaysians across a wide range of age groups, ranging from pre-school children to senior citizens.

Speaking at the launch event, the Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, “Initiatives like NTW 2023 is very important in raising awareness and encouraging Malaysians to be more proactive in improving their skills and knowledge. I hope NTW 2023 will also attract more Malaysians to explore opportunities in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), especially in high-value TVET programmes.

The Deputy Prime Minister also suggested that the Ministry of Human Resources and HRD Corp increase the number of TVET-related courses for the NTW and make it an annual event in the future.

The Ministry of Human Resources and HRD Corp aimed to offer 5,000 courses to 125,000 participants with a total of 500,000 training hours. However, as of Friday, 5.00 pm, the number of courses has far exceeded original targets, standing at 21,052. Whereas course participation stood at 103,823 while the total training hours completed was 404,312.

With two more days to go, the Minister of Human Resources, Tuan V. Sivakumar is confident that the Ministry and HRD Corp will be able to achieve if not exceed all of its earlier targets for NTW 2023. He stated that, “The success we garnered from NTW 2023 should not end here. On the contrary, it should be the catalyst for delivering more training and skills development programmes to all Malaysians. In fact, NTW has the potential to inspire private sector organisations and industry players to introduce innovative and creative approaches to skills development.”

Beyond skills development, NTW partners also carried out a wide range of programmes and activities throughout the country. This included NTW launches at the state level in Johor, Sarawak, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, Penang, Pahang and Melaka. Over 300 programmes were also held by various partners, targeting every segment of society.

Besides that, the Ministry of Human Resources and HRD Corp also held the Karnival TVET Madani in Kota Kinabalu Sabah today, in conjunction with the NTW 2023. The Carnival was joined by the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Department of Labour (JTK). It was also attended by over 3,000 Sabahans.

Malaysians can still visit www.nationaltrainingweek.gov.my to learn more and register for available courses. These courses will be run via face-to-face, online, or hybrid learning models, covering a wide range of soft and technical skills across training, coaching, facilitating and learning.