KOTA KINABALU: POIC Sabah is seeking to collaborate with learning and training institutions to meet the evolving manpower needs. 

The state-owned company is responsible for the development of POIC Lahad Datu industrial park and POIC Port.  

POIC deputy chief executive officer Lynette Hoo said investors are no longer looking just for production line workers but also manpower with the latest skills. 

“We need to be prepared to remain competitive as an investment destination,” she said after a visit to Unversiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sabah Campus here. 

Hoo also met with staffers led by its Deputy Rector Dr Sharifah Nurafizah Syed Annuar and gave a briefing on POIC Lahad Datu to about 90 graduating diploma students of UiTM’s Plantations and Agricultural Technology faculty, 

Among other things the two sides agreed to explore manpower and academia needs in such fields like logistics and oleochemicals industries which are sectors POIC Sabah are prioritising. 

”We push towards using POIC Lahad Datu to anchor Sabah’s East coast as a regional logistics hub, developing a free zone, amalgamating regional resources for value-added manufacturing at POIC, quality manpower is vital.” 

As industrialisation grows and jobs are created, government-linked institutions such as POIC Sabah also desire that Sabahans benefit optimally by preparing them for the new and widening opportunities. 

Aside from UiTM, POIC Sabah also has sights on the numerous training and research institutions including the Politeknik Kota Kinabalu, Institut Latihan Mara, Sabah Skills and Technology Centre. 

Since its inception in 2005, POIC Sabah and companies in POIC Lahad Datu have regularly been accepting interns from various institutions of higher learning. 

The SMJ development initiative is a holistic plan to expedite Sabah’s development, including expanding the industry sector in order to enlarge its share in the state GDP.