{
  "id": 9443215,
  "title": "MEITD: School-industry collaboration key to closing Sarawak’s skills gap",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/meitd-school-industry-collaboration-key-to-closing-sarawaks-skills-gap",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-23T23:02:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Borneo Post Online",
    "slug": "borneo-post-online",
    "url": "https://www.theborneopost.com/2026/09/24/meitd-school-industry-collaboration-key-to-closing-sarawaks-skills-gap/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUCHING (Sept 24): MeITD permanent secretary Datu Adana Jed emphasized the importance of stronger collaboration between schools and industry to address the skills gap in Sarawak. During the 'Sistem Pesanan Kerjaya (SPEAK): Talent Bridge 2030 Kuching Series' closing ceremony, Adana stressed the need for school counsellors and industry players to work together to provide students with accurate and up-to-date information on career pathways. He highlighted the mismatch between industry talent requirements and the skills students acquire, using the example of an industry needing 500 technicians but unable to find qualified graduates.\n\nAt the event, Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn officiated. Adana pointed out that, according to Socso Sarawak Talent Capture Data, over 3,903 SPM holders, 7,890 TVET graduates, and more than 4,600 higher education graduates were placed in 2023. By 2025, TVET placements had increased to over 12,800, and higher education placements grew to more than 8,400. These figures indicate a growing demand for skilled talent and an increasing number of young people entering technical and vocational pathways.\n\nHowever, Adana acknowledged that Sarawak still faces a significant skills gap, with the state's skilled workforce comprising 20.05 per cent of the population based on the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) Labour Force Survey 2025. He emphasized that while opportunities are expanding across various sectors, the current alignment between student choices and industry demand remains insufficient. Adana stressed that TVET is often seen as a less prestigious choice, despite its vital role in providing students with valuable skills and career prospects.",
  "summary": "KUCHING (Sept 24): Stronger collaboration between schools and industry is needed to bridge the gap between the skills students acquire and the talent requirements of employers, said Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) permanent secretary Datu Adana Jed. He said school counsellors and industry players had to work together to ensure students received [...] The post…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}