JOHOR BAHRU, 24 June 2024 – Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) organised the opening ceremony of National Training Week (NTW) 2024 at the Southern University College, Skudai, Johor, today. The event was officiated by the Chief Minister of Johor, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Onn Hafiz Ghazi, together with Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Khairul Dzaimee bin Daud the Secretary General of the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA).

NTW was introduced last year as the nation’s first training-focused week. Spearheaded by HRD Corp, it is a full week of training events and activities that bring together organisations and people from various industries and backgrounds for free learning and development opportunities.

NTW 2024, which will take place from 24 to 30 June 2024, is the continuation of the hugely successful NTW 2023, which took place in May last year. Retaining its essence of promoting lifelong learning as a culture among all Malaysians, the week-long initiative does this by offering high-impact training courses to Malaysians through collaborative efforts between government agencies, corporate sectors, training providers, trainers, academia and individuals.

During his speech, Dato’ Onn Hafiz Ghazi shared that the state government has implemented several efforts to drive the success of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ). These included organising workshops to ensure the ease and convenience of business activities and nurture a sufficient local and state talent pool.

“On behalf of the Johor state government, I would like to propose the establishment of the Johor Talent Development Council, comprising representatives of the federal and state agencies, to ensure a healthy collaborative relationship between all parties.

We would also like to request for KESUMA to be a part of the council to ensure that our talent development efforts will support the national agenda.”

“Ultimately, we want Johor to become an economic powerhouse that could be the next ‘Shenzen of Southeast Asia,” he added

Dato’ Sri Khairul Dzaimee said that the decision to choose Johor as the state to launch a national scale initiative such as the NTW was due to the robust economic growth experienced by the state, on top of its uniqueness.

He added that the unity exuded by the Bangsa Johor is not shown in other states and KESUMA is always ready to be a strategic partner of the Johor State Government in developing local talents.

NTW 2024 aims to go one step further to inspire Malaysians to adopt lifelong learning in their personal and professional development by offering more than 60,000 free courses nationwide, conducted through various channels to 200,000 Malaysians. These training programmes are expected to record over 700,000 training hours and deliver RM200 million in training value.

HRD Corp and its partners will be offering 686 free training programmes for the Southern Region which includes 402 programmes in Johor, 146 programmes in Negeri Sembilan and 138 programmes in Melaka. So far, more than 23,000 enrolments have been recorded in the Southern Region, with the majority of them are from Johor. The NTW event in Johor will also feature the MYFUTUREJOBS Fair by PERKESO which is set to offer over 700 jobs from reputable organisations to job seekers in the state.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by 1,500 distinguished guests, including Yang Berhormat Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Haji Azmi Bin Rohani, Johor’s Secretary of State, Yang Berhormat Tuan Lee Thing Han, Chairman of Johor’s Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee, HRD Corp’s Chairman, Datuk Abu Huraira bin Abu Yazid, its Chief Executive Datuk Wira Shahul Dawood, Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Chuah Joon Huang, President of the Southern University College, as well as representatives from various government agencies, employers, training providers, state bodies, educational institutions, NGOs, and the public.

Apart from the Opening Ceremony, the occasion featured engaging and educational activities scheduled throughout the day. These included Crane Electronics by Kelab Sukan dan Rekreasi Jabatan Pengurusan & Krisis Pelabuhan Tg. Pelepas (PTP), Halal Industry Fundamentals (Halal Awareness) by Halal Development Corporation (HDC), Drone Pilot Training, Automotive Detailing Workshops and Sign Language Classes.

Supported by more than 500 learning and development activities nationwide, NTW 2024 will also feature training-related events and programmes through an NTW Learning Event in Penang covering the Northern Region on 25 June, NTW Learning Event in Kuala Terengganu covering the East Coast Region on 26 June, NTW Learning Event in Kuching covering all of Sarawak on 27 June and NTW Learning Event in Kota Kinabalu covering all of Sabah on 28 June.

NTW 2024 will culminate in a two-day training extravaganza at Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on 29 and 30 June 2024. The two-day learning event will feature interesting activities such as Pancasains by Petrosains, EV Experience by Proton, Sports Clinic, Lego Competition, a book fair by Bookxcess and the MYFUTUREJOBS Career Fair among others.

For more information on the NTW 2024 and to register for the free training programmes during the week, please visit www.nationaltrainingweek.gov.my.