Kuala Lumpur, 2 December 2021 – Prime Minister, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob has launched the new name and brand identity for Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), today. He also announced the country’s first national single window platform, UpskillMalaysia, which will feature a comprehensive list of skills training and development programmes offered by the Malaysian Government. 

The agency, formerly known as the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) was established in 1993, under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR). Its primary purpose was to collect levy from registered employers and disburse training grants for employee training and upskilling. In its first year of operations, it collected RM55 million in levy from businesses in the manufacturing sector only. In 2021, its levy collection has exceeded RM673 million to date and is set to reach RM680 million by the end of the year. This has been channeled towards supporting the training and development needs of over 65,400 registered employers across the country  

In the last 18 months, the agency has expanded its role to support the skills development, employment and income generation needs of Malaysians from all walks of life in order to mitigate the socio-economic impact brought forth by the pandemic. HRD Corp introduced the PENJANA HRDF programme in June 2020, with a funding of over RM500 million, and which has benefited close to 100,000 participants to date; launched its free online learning platform e-LATiH which has received a cumulative enrolment of 370,000 in all its courses; and developed the HRD Corp Placement Centre (HPC) which offers close to 40,000 employment and placement opportunities with some of Malaysia’s leading employers. 

Speaking at the launch event, Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob said, “HRD Corp has been at the forefront of developing Malaysia’s highly skilled knowledge-based workforce in the last three decades. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that all of Malaysia’s human capital and skills development programmes will be placed under the Ministry of Human Resources and will be centrally managed by HRD Corp. This will enable the government to embark on a more cohesive, structured and efficient talent development strategy that can support the acceleration of Malaysia’s post-pandemic economic recovery.”

In line with this expanded role, HRD Corp will also be the lead agency for managing UpskillMalaysia, the national single window platform for all upskilling, re-skilling, multi-skilling and cross-skilling programmes offered and funded by various government ministries and agencies. To date, Upskill Malaysia hosts over 200 programmes in 35 skills areas that are offered by 28 ministries and agencies. More courses and agencies will be added soon. The government also aims to train 220,000 Malaysians through the portal by the end of 2022. 

According to Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, Minister of Human Resources, “We are deeply honoured to have Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri recognise MOHR and HRD Corp as the primary custodian of Malaysia’s human capital development initiatives. HRD Corp’s success and longevity in the last 28 years is testament to its ability to adapt and evolve in order to not only stay ahead of but also successfully support Malaysia’s economic and human capital development needs. This new responsibility came at a timely moment in HRD Corp’s history as it has also expanded its levy programme to cover 18 sectors, and 238 subsectors, up from 3 and 63 previously. This will enable HRD Corp to support up to 6.1 million employees in the next five years.”  

HRD Corp has also embarked on numerous strategic initiatives and partnerships in the past year. Most recently it announced its Second Chances & Opportunities for People to Excel (SCOPE) in collaboration with the Malaysian Prisons Department (JPM) to provide training and employment to former detainees. Soon, it will also roll out similar programmes to support senior citizens, single mothers and B40 women, as well as persons with disabilities (PWD).