NEWS
Malaysians say training vital to remain competitive

May 09 | Even in the face of economic recession, the importance of training and skills development has been highlighted by a recent international workplace survey that shows approximately nine out of ten Malaysian respondents believe their current skills will be outdated within five years. The survey, by global workforce solutions leader Kelly Services, finds almost half of respondents believe the training currently provided by their employers will not meet their future career needs.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index obtained the views of nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries including almost 2,000 in Malaysia. Kelly Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s Vice President and Country General Manager, Ms Melissa Norman, said that in an increasingly competitive global economy, investing in vital human capital can become a key competitive advantage for firms. This is in line with the Government’s Second Stimulus Package which focuses on reducing unemployment and increasing employment opportunity through skill enhancement programmes as Malaysia faces a challenging economic environment.

“Training may not seem a priority in the present economic climate, but organizations that devote the resources will be more likely to see higher productivity and profitability in the future,” Norman said. The survey highlights the significance that employees across the generational age groups place on training and skills development to sustain them in a rapidly changing labor market.

Among the key findings of the survey:

• Gen X (aged 30-47) are most worried about the level of training they receive, with 58 percent saying it is not sufficient to upgrade skills and advance their career.
• 93 percent of Gen X and 91 percent of Gen Y (aged 18-29) say that within the next five years their skills will need to be upgraded to keep pace with changes in the workplace.
• Gen Y received the most help from their HR department to achieve their employment goals and Gen X report the least assistance with their goals.
• Baby boomers (aged 48-65) have a preference for on-the-job training in comparison with their younger counterparts.

Across generations, women are most likely to be dissatisfied with the level of training provided by their employer. Among respondents, almost three-quarters (74 percent) said that training should be a joint responsibility between an employer and employee. The preference among those surveyed is for professional development courses (54 percent), followed by on-the-job training (34 percent), self-initiated learning (6 percent) and formal university or college qualifications (5 percent). Ms Norman said the findings revealed the depth of concern across the population at the capacity of the current skills base to meet new workforce challenges.

“The current economic environment has made people very aware of their skills and whether they will be sufficient to survive the recession and beyond, into a period of economic recovery. As a recruitment and staffing solutions company, we support the Government in enhancing the labour market towards a knowledge-based economy,” Norman said. “It is only very recently that we faced skills shortages across many industries, and unless skills and training are enhanced, that situation may occur in the future when the economy improves and heads for an upturn. Increased competition for jobs combined with technological change makes it vital that employees are assisted to become even more productive, through the best training possible,” Norman concluded.

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