Najib: PSD scholars can serve out bond in private sector

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/

By Yow Hong Chieh

December 06, 2010

 

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 6 — Selected students holding Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships will be allowed to serve their bond outside civil service, the prime minister has said.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak said PSD scholarship holders will soon be able to seek employment at government-linked companies (GLCs) and private sector corporations, particularly those related to the New Key Economic Areas (NKEAs).

He said scholars will also be able to apply to biotechnology, aerospace and information communication and technology (ICT) industries, which are of strategic importance to the nation’s economic progress.
“We recognise there are many ways to contribute and we are creating opportunities for scholars to do so,” Najib said at the launch of brain gain agency Talent Corporation today.
“We must ensure our youth are given the opportunity to achieve their full potential so they can contribute to the nation’s development. This requires taking a broad view on ways to optimise their involvement in the broader national interest, be it in the public or private sector.”
The launch of Talent Corp a month ahead of schedule follows the prime minister’s unveiling of the much-anticipated second New Economic Model (NEM) report, which failed to excite the public and investors alike.
The new corporation — tasked specifically to source and deliver top talent from abroad and locally critical for key economic sectors — will be led by CEO Johan Mahmood Merican and directed by a board of trustees chaired by Najib.
Board members will include Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan.
Talent Corp will also be supported by a consultative advisory panel that will comprise members from the private sector, industry and civil society.

Companies have complained about the lack of skilled labour in Malaysia and economists have cited this problem as a hindrance in the country’s ability to attract more high-technology industries. About 80 per cent of the country’s workforce only has secondary school education.

The number of Malaysian migrants rose by more than 100-fold in a 45-year period, from 9,576 Malaysians in 1960 to 1,489,168 Malaysians in 2005, according to the World Bank.
Malaysian migrants with tertiary education living in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom numbered 102,321 in 2000.

Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay said recently that 304,358 Malaysians had migrated from March 2008 till August 2009 compared with 139,696 Malaysians in 2007.