Pertama Ferroalloys Commitment in Supporting Sarawak’s Education and Talent Development with Ministerial Visit
In a bid to strengthen the education and talent development initiatives in Sarawak, Pertama Ferroalloys extended a warm welcome to Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Sarawak, Dato Sri Roland Sagah, and Deputy Minister Datuk Francis Harden Hollis.
The visit was marked by a warm reception led by Pertama’s General Manager Mr Yuki Nakamura.
In his commitment to the education of Sarawak, Mr. Nakamura expressed his long-standing connection with Sarawak his vision for the company to support Sarawak’s potential. He emphasized the importance of education and talent development in Sarawak in contributing to Sarawak’s Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS), and ambitions to continue this goal in the next 50 to 100 years, beyond the targeted PCDS 2030.
During the discussion, he outlined the company’s substantial investment in Sarawak’s education fund, with an annual commitment of 4 million, not only limiting to academical development, but also technical schools that focuses on upskilling and reskilling in Sarawak, with no limitation of age. The fund will also be utilized in enhancing Sarawak’s teaching and educating advancement.
He also challenged the traditional view of salary as an expense, instead framing it as a strategic investment in the company’s key asset – its people. Therefore, in building a superior human resources foundation, Mr. Nakamura identified education and the passion fostered by educators as the primary factors.
Following the MOU with the Sarawak Government that was held in Tokyo in October 2022, Pertama Ferroalloys is speeding up and finalizing its education fund scheme together with the Ministry of Education. Extending beyond local education like Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School, this fund scheme will be diversified across various areas of academic and talent development, including international universities such as Tsukuba University, and more.
In his address, Dato Sri Roland Sagah acknowledged the gap that Sarawak needs to bridge, drawing inspiration from countries like Japan, which have excelled through a culture of continuous improvement and lifelong learning, not only in education.
He emphasized the importance of technology and environmental sustainability in Sarawak’s development agenda and expresses the state’s inclination of collaborating with Sarawak’s foreign investors like Pertama Ferroalloys in bridging this gap.
This visit signifies a collaborative efforts between Sarawak’s education ministry and the private sector in advancing education and talent development in Sarawak.
