Digital batik printing course next year

KENINGAU: Yayasan Sabah Director Datuk Jamalul Kiram Mohd Zakaria said Yayasan Sabah Group (YSG), through the Sabah Handicraft Centre (PKS), will start a digital batik printing training course next year with the acquisition of textile digital printing machines through a Federal Government grant.

He said PKS had responded to the Government’s call for digitisation because they did not want to be left behind neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, China and Vietnam who had used such machines for many years.

“With those machines, we will be able to produce more batik in the short run at a lower cost,” he said when closing the PKS Open Day and presentation of Handicraft Training Programme certificates at the PKS Salingkawang hall, here.

However, he said the hand-painted batik will continue as PKS does not want to waste the MS ISO 692: 9000 batik standard, which has been obtained twice since 2015 and most recently in 2018.

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He also said construction of the trainees’ hostel would start early next year in collaboration with the Coordination and Implementation Unit, Prime Minister’s Department, Federal Development Office, State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) of Sabah and Public Works Department, adding the building can accommodate 200 trainees at a time.

Jamalul Kiram said the PKS would also work with Universiti Sains Malaysia and Teraju in its Innovation for Community (INNO4C) programme and have identified several villages in Tenom, Tawau, Papar, Kota Belud and Tuaran to organise several programmes for the local communities.

He said YSG, through the PKS, is able to generate competitive human capital in the manufacture of handicraft products and believed the handicraft industry could improve the socio-economic status of the local community, especially the rural youths.

“Since the Handicraft Training Programme was introduced in 2012 to date, YSG, through the PKS along with Yayasan Sabah zone offices, has trained more than 20,000 youths in the State in various fields of craft.

“The programmes implemented in PKS not only provide skills in handicraft-making but also skills for trainees to earn income as craft entrepreneurs.

“All this would not have been possible without the support of the Federal Government which has provided funds to YSG to implement the Handicraft Training Programme,” he said.

He said since the PKS introduced the Start-Up Programme in 2017, which is a continuation of the Incubator programme, it has trained 57 participants under the programme.

Jamalul Kiram said the participants of the programme have been guided on the ways to start a business through the 24-month Technical Advisory Service Programme.

He said the PKS recently collaborated with the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) through the Sabah Wood Industry Development Skills Centre (Wisdec) in its Technical Advisory Services Programme involving five Start-Up participants.

According to him, the programme aims to help the company in terms of technical advisory services to assist in the market growth as well as to provide design, equipment and machinery design, layout, manufacturing process and related matters.

“Another thing that we are proud of is that the collaboration with Wisdec Sabah will enable the participants of the wood-based programme, organised by the PKS, to obtain the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) for Levels Two and Three.

“YSG will continue to work with agencies that have specialised expertise to help entrepreneurs stay competitive.

“This year, another new programme is introduced, the Scale-Up Programme, a continuation of the Start-Up Programme, whereby selected participants will be assisted in terms of improving their respective business,” he said.

He said five entrepreneurs had been selected to participate in the programme and monitored and given guidance for 36 months.

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Jamalul Kiram hoped that with the support of YSG, the trainees are becoming more involved in the handicraft industry and believed that the industry in the State has a bright future and will improve the socio-economic status of the people.

Also present at the event were District Officer Hassan Mahali, PKS Group Manager Zaiton Bakri, heads of Federal and State government departments, YS and PKS officials and course participants.

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