Academic qualifications alone are no longer sufficient to prepare young Sarawakians for an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing job market, said Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said young people also needed technical and vocational skills, digital capabilities, creativity, communication, entrepreneurship and problem-solving abilities to meet the demands of the current and future economy.
“They need not only skills and high academic achievements, but they have to be street-smart,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of the Sarawak-level National Youth Consultative Council Conference at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak yesterday.
Abdul Karim said strong academic results did not necessarily prepare young people for workplace realities if they lacked the practical ability to adapt to challenges.
“I see today that if we focus solely on academic education, even if someone gets first-class honours, when they join a department, they can get lost at times.
“Once they are out in the field, if they are not street-smart, it will also be difficult for them to navigate life’s struggles to reach higher levels,” he said.
He said expectations surrounding education had changed significantly over the years, with qualifications that were once enough to secure relatively senior positions no longer necessarily meeting current requirements.
According to Abdul Karim, the shift reflected Malaysians’ higher levels of education as well as growing competition for higher-level employment.
“That is the kind of competition that we are facing, and that is the reason why our way of developing and elevating our youth must inevitably rely on education and knowledge,” he said.
He said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) would remain an important pathway for young people as they prepared for a wider range of careers.
Abdul Karim stressed that there was no single definition of success, with young people able to pursue careers as professionals, technicians, entrepreneurs, athletes, creative industry practitioners or in technology-related fields.
“What matters is that they have relevant skills and opportunities to grow,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring young people in rural areas have equal access to information, training, technology and career opportunities.
“Do not let distance become an obstacle to potential,” he said.
Abdul Karim said Sarawak’s efforts to expand access to education, including its move towards free tertiary education at state-owned universities, were aimed at producing a more highly educated population capable of contributing to the state’s continued development.
On youth leadership, he said young people should not simply be viewed as future leaders but as partners in Sarawak’s development today.
He said they should be given opportunities to learn leadership, make decisions, solve problems and take on responsibilities from an early stage.
“We do not need to wait for young people to become leaders before giving them space. We need to give them space now,” he said.
Abdul Karim added that Sarawak’s ambitions for economic growth, quality employment and stronger local industries would require a new generation equipped with knowledge, skills, confidence and a strong sense of identity.
Among those present were Sarawak Youth and Sports Department director Lamat Nyalau and Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (Saberkas) secretary-general and Daro assemblyman Dr Safiee Ahmad.
