Pledge to create three million jobs shows BN's concern for youths

KUALA LUMPUR: The commitment to create three million job opportunities in the next five years as pledged in the Barisan Nasional manifesto, is guaranteed to win the hearts of young voters nationwide.
The number is not just a gimmick to gain votes as thanks to the detailed plan mapped out by its president Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, it was possible for the government to generate 2.26 million employment opportunities in the last five years.
A private sector employee, Mohd Muizzuddin Abdullah, 26, from Kuala Terengganu said the pledge was seen to be favourable, especially among young people who were still searching for suitable jobs.
"I welcome the BN's pledge to create three million jobs as this will be a great help for new graduates who are usually saddled with education loan debt and I am confident that this mission is achievable.
"Right now I am working on a contract basis to gain some work experience as I am still waiting for a job in my chosen field. With more job opportunities, this will solve the problems of those in search for a permanent source of income," he said when met by Bernama here today.
Another youth, Muhammad Hafiz Jalil, 25 from Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan hoped that more programmes such as the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M) would be implemented to alleviate the plight of unemployed graduates.
"Most employers are now reluctant to take in fresh graduates so apprenticeship programmes such as SL1M will actually assist this group of people in improving their soft skills and exposing them to the real work environment.
"In addition, with more youths completing the SL1M programme this would create a supply of skilled workforce which could reduce the need for foreign workers whose qualifications and expertise are equivalent to our local graduates," he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) secretary-general, Ahmad Saparudin Yusup in welcoming the manifesto drawn especially for youths said, this showed the BN's seriousness in addressing the needs of the group.
He added that a good government would pay attention to the needs of the communities and among the issues were employment opportunities for youths.
"In helping to prepare youths for the jobs to be created, the government had earlier conducted various initiatives and programmes, among them technical and vocational training (TVET), SL1M, young agropreneur and other youth skills training programmes," he said when contacted by Bernama.
He said MBM was confident that the objective to create three million jobs could be achieved as the country's human resources have already been prepared for an era of rapid change and global competition.
"As such, the BN should be given a fresh mandate to continue with this plan," he added. — Bernama