The Ministry of Education is implementing a targeted approach to ensure the local workforce is prepared for job opportunities created by foreign direct investment (FDI).

Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh shared these efforts during the sixth day of the First Meeting of the 22nd Legislative Council session.

The minister highlighted that human resource planning is being coordinated closely with industry stakeholders and government agencies.

It includes working with the Manpower Planning Office (PPTM), the Prime Minister’s Office and the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC) to align training pro-grammes with market demand.

Beyond expanding digital literacy and artificial intelligence (Al) across academic curricula, the Ministry focuses on project-based learning and structured industrial training to meet specific competency requirements.

An example is the Hengyi Petrochemical Project Phase 1. The Ministry held detailed discussions with the Department of Energy, the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), PPTM, and Hengyi to examine workforce needs for both construction and operations.

Consequently, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Politeknik Brunei (PB), and the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) developed 17 relevant education and training programmes.

Since 2018, a total of 2,092 local graduates have completed these related studies, directly contributing to the Hengyi project’s local workforce.

The minister noted that this collaborative model – involving government, educational institutions, and investors – ensures more targeted talent preparation.

Following the success of Phase 1, the approach is now being adopted as a “best practice” to support workforce readiness for Hengyi Phase 2 and other upcoming FDI projects.

(news source: Borneo Bulletin; pic source: Info Foto, Jabatan Penerangan)