Abdul Aziz (middle) hands over the Best Apprentice (Project) Award to Aman Abadi as Mazli (third left) and others look on.
KUCHING (July 15): Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd reached another significant milestone on Thursday with the graduation of the pioneer batch of apprentices under its Young Talent Programme (YTP).
The 10 apprentices who graduated underwent two years of apprenticeship in various respective fields and upon completion, were absorbed as full-time staff of Sarawak Metro.
On hand to present the Certificates of Completion to the graduates at the graduation ceremony was Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain.
Abdul Aziz, who is also Sarawak Metro chairman, called on all the young talents to fully utilise what they learnt from their mentors as a solid foundation towards developing themselves as a subject matter expert.
“I hope the knowledge and skills you obtained during your apprenticeship will form a solid foundation for you to flourish and eventually master your specific fields, as well as contribute to the overall success of our Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project,” he said.
Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, Sarawak Metro chief executive officer Mazli Mustaffa described the graduation ceremony as a major milestone for the company in its efforts to develop human capital, particularly under its Socio-Economic Enhancement Development (SEED) programme.
To the graduates, he reminded them of the opportunities available to them especially in gaining first-hand experience and learning directly from the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) related to the Autonomous Rapid Transit system in China and other countries.
Mazli also lauded them for their role as ‘ambassadors’ for Sarawak Metro during their apprenticeship, as they were also involved in the various stakeholder engagement exercises organised by the company.
During the graduation ceremony, the Best Apprentice (Project) Award as presented to Aman Abadi Zolkipli, while Mohamad Hafiz Mohamad Khaduwi received the award for Best Apprentice (Corporate).
There were also awards presented to the mentors, with the ‘Awesome/Coolest Mentor’ award presented to Nor Nasyriq Shahirudin and ‘Awesome/Coolest Supporting Mentor’ award presented to Nik Ashraf Nik Mohamed Ariff.
Other YTP graduates are Aizwan Saufiee Muhamad, Alan Teh Chia Jian, Aminur Afiq Jamuri, Farzaitulnatrah Husain, Nur Atiqah Binti Jepri Nor, Sara Athynna Mohamad Kamal Basheer, Qhalief Sapawi and Eyreca Jyubalta Kenedy.
Sarawak Metro, a wholly owned subsidiary of SEDC, introduced YTP in its efforts to create a pool of skilled manpower for the KUTS Project.
The programme is one of the initiatives under the SEED Programme, which aimed to create added value through the procurement process of the KUTS Project.
Since the YTP’s introduction, Sarawak Metro has recruited two batches of apprentices, with the second batch comprising of 16 young talents.
In total, the YTP aims to produce 50 graduates, up to the year 2025. They will undergo similar mentoring, training, and attachment programme during their two-year apprenticeship.
Also present was Sarawak Metro director of Corporate Communication and SEED Programme Alexius Barieng.
Mazli (left) presents the memento to Abdul Aziz (middle) witnessed by Alexius.