Malaysia's MATTA To Produce More Apprentices In Travel Industry

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) will be recruiting new apprentices in the travel industry through the National Dual Training System (SLDN) programme starting January next year. Department of Skills Development director-general Dr Pang Chau Leong said the programme would provide comprehensive training to students as it would combine practical training at a company and theories gained at SLDN institutes. "Thirty per cent of the training will be conducted at the institutes while the rest at workplaces," he told reporters after launching the SLDN programme for travel industry here Thursday. Pang said the programme would ensure that employers or companies would be supplied with skilled and trained labour. "Throughout the 18-month training, there are six modules and one selective module that the students need to learn, and they need to sit for a final examination to earn the level three Malaysian Skills Certificate, which is recognised in Asean region," he added. Meanwhile, MATTA president Hamzah Rahmat said the programme was what the travel industry needed as it was currently facing a shortage of experienced, skilled and talented workers for front-line jobs. "Our colleges and universities churned out thousands of tourism graduates with academic knowledge but without industry skills to perform well in the workplace. "We will have an open registration during the MATTA Fair at Hall Three, which starts Friday, and will run the course next year with the first batch of 20 students. If the response is overwhelming we will take in students every month," he said. Hamzah said all the trainers would be MATTA members, who were knowledgeable in the travel industry, not only to teach the students but to help create job opportunities. "The participating companies will get to interview and choose the apprentices straight away and lock them in while undergoing this training. MATTA has 3,200 members and I'm sure the students will find jobs within our members," he added. The SLDN programme is based on the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) and developed by the department together with the industries. --BERNAMA