Kuala Lumpur, 17 November 2021 – The Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) has launched its new initiative, Second Chances & Opportunities for People to Excel (SCOPE). 

SCOPE is designed to support former prisoners who have completed their sentences by providing them with skills development training and employment opportunities. This is geared towards helping participants prepare for and succeed in reintegrating into the national workforce and wider society. 

During Phase 1 of the initiative, HRD Corp will be working with the Malaysian Prison Department (JPM) and other strategic partners to provide employment opportunities to 1,000 detainees in various sectors such as, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, transportation, farming, services, plantation, as well as mining and quarrying. 

Speaking at the launch event, the Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said, “As of 2019, there were over 140,000 incarcerated individuals in Malaysian prisons and the government has been spending over RM1.6 billion annually on prison management. It is my hope that by providing former prisoners with skills training and employment opportunities, SCOPE can help to reduce the number of repeat offenders and eventually our prison population. SCOPE can also help to lessen our dependency on foreign workers while reducing our national unemployment. This is important as we strive to become a developed nation and build an inclusive society.” 

During the event, 50 participants, who represented some of the 1,000 trainees from Phase 1, received their employment offer letter from 20 employers. These participants will be starting their new jobs in the next few weeks. 

According to Datuk Shahul Dawood, “At HRD Corp we believe that training and skills development opportunities should not be limited to any one group of Malaysians. Therefore, we have made it our mission to ensure that no one is left behind. SCOPE enables HRD Corp to liberate the talents and potential of our former prisoners as they re-enter society as private citizens. We hope that this can help them to effectively contribute to their communities, in the long term.  

The pilot project will run until the end of November 2021. Phase Two of the programme is set to train and place up to 5,000 detainees in 2022, while Phase Three will support 15,000 detainees and start in 2023.

HRD Corp also presented training providers and participating employers with certificates and tokens of appreciation at the event. For more information on SCOPE please visit www.hrdcorp.gov.my/SCOPE.