DESPITE the labour crunch for a highly skilled workforce in the competitive semiconductor industry in Penang, Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo remains optimistic about attracting new talents to address this longstanding issue.
He is hopeful that if the multinational companies and small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) can each actively play a key role in training the younger generation, preparing them for the future, the state will very likely be able to hire at least 10,000 high-skilled workers by next year.
Jagdeep, who oversees the Human Capital Development, Science and Technology portfolio, hailed ASE Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd after visiting one of their plants at the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone on Feb 26.
He praised the semiconductor giant for its business evolution and commitment to nurturing young people through their internship and technical, vocational education and training (TVET) programmes.
“This is very important because one of the key steps to addressing the labour shortage issue is by preparing the future generations with such pivotal initiatives.
“I was impressed with the presentation by ASE earlier, especially how they promote knowledge-sharing with our future leaders.
“This is something all companies must emulate, and as for Penang, many multinational companies are already taking such steps to address this ongoing talent issue,” Jagdeep said in his speech.
ASE is globally recognised as the leading provider of semiconductor manufacturing services in assembly and testing.
In Malaysia, the company has five plants and five business units, employing a workforce of 3,500 individuals.
Also present during the event were ASE Malaysia general manager Ooi Heng Ee and its vice president Choong Lai Heng.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi