By Asmahanim Amir
Pix Izwan Azman

MELAKA, 5 Oct 2015 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) through the Tun Fatimah Hashim Women’s Leadership Centre (PKW) will carry out research on female human capital needs for the Sarawak corridor of renewable energy (SCORE).

The research will be carried out after PKW signed the Memorandum of Agreement with the Sarawak State Government through the Ministry of Welfare, Women and Family Development on 29 September.

The minister, Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said they had been asked by stakeholders about job opportunities for women in Sarawak especially for the younger generation.

“To get this answer, I feel that we need to do research. What type of jobs are available for the needs of professionals, semi-professionals, skilled and semi-skilled?

“These questions need to be answered to enable us primarily for the State Government and the ministries (Ministry of Welfare, Women and Family Development). We provide advice to women in respect of employment opportunities available,” she said in her speech at the MoA signing.

She said they need to know whether skills, qualifications and courses taken by young people in universities or colleges today are not adequate for employment opportunities.

“Is there a gap such as the courses taken have relevant jobs or otherwise or the attitude of young people themselves who are too choosy about where they want to work in an industry where they have to go out in high temperatures or work in the plantations?,” she asked.

She said she was proud when statistics showed that most universities recorded higher percentage of women than men in student admission.

“But when they finish their studies, we found that more woman were unemployed. We want to know what had gone wrong. So we hope this research could be answered for the employees,” she said.

Meanwhile, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Strategic and Corporate Development, Prof Dato’ Ir Dr Nohd Marzuki Mustafa said PKW con seek external funds to expand research in the field.

“I hope PKW will continue to successfully raise UKM’s profile internationally as a leader in the field of women’s leadership and as a centre of excellence for women’s leadership, respected and referred relevant in the near future.

“I believe that Women’s and Family Department of Sarawak and PKW will achieve the objectives of the study as required in the agreement,” he said.