Asean's Skilled Worker Capital: Malaysia Scoops The Pool at 2016 Asean Skills Competition

A shortage of skilled workers is an often cited reason why companies select one country over another to locate their new manufacturing facility. If the results of the 2016 Asean Skills Competition are anything to go by the future for manufacturing companies setting up in Malaysia should be bright.

A team of 50 skilled workers from Malaysia scooped the pools at the biennial Asean skills competition in Kuala Lumpur recently, raking in 24 gold medals, four silver, and five bronze to finish the six day event as the undisputed skilled worker capital of Asean. Coming in a distant second was Indonesia with 13 gold, seven bronze, and two silver medals, while first ranked 2014 Asean Skills Competition winner Vietnam only managed seven gold, five silver, and four bronze.

Established 11 years ago, the Asean Skills competition was created to promote the development of quality skilled workers, improve training among Asean member countries, and encourage cooperation among government, industries, employers, and workers organization.

Speaking of Malaysia’s success at the 2016 Asean Skills competition, deputy prime minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told The Star Online: “The Asean Skills Competition will convey the message to the world community that the youth in Asean are being trained to prepare themselves to meet job requirements, and contribute to building a better and more prosperous world”.

Asean skills competition awards and medals

Malaysia scooped the pool at the 2016 Asean Skills Competition winning 24 gold medals to finish the six day event as the skilled worker capital of Asean Photo: Courtesy Malaysia Department of SKills Development

According to the results of the 2016 Asean Skills competition Malaysia leads the rest of Asean in:

Beauty therapy (two golds)
Refrigeration and air conditioning (two golds)
Cooking (one gold)
Automobile technology (two golds)
Electrical installation (one gold)
Plumbing and heating (one gold)
IT network system administration (one gold)

In second place overall Indonesia alone scored a gold medal in each of:

IT software solution for business skills
Mobile robotics
Graphic design technology

Indonesia also won the Best Nation award for IT software solution for business skills.

While the news was not so good for the region’s manufacturing powerhouse, Vietnam, the fields in which it excelled mirror the growth of key industries inside the country.

In addition to topping the filed in CNC maintenance, winning the Best Nation award and the gold medal, it also took out two gold medals for industrial automation, one for electronics, and one for mechanical engineering design.

For the so-called skilled worker manufacturing hub of Asean, Thailand, the results belie the claim. Finishing the 2016 Asean Skills competition in fourth place, Thailand’s 30-person team took home the Best Nation award and a gold medal for restaurant service, as well as one gold medal each in the fields of hair dressing, welding, Mechatronics, and mechanical engineering design.

276 ‘skilled workers’ from nine Asean member countries competed in 23 different skilled fields to find the skilled worker capital of Asean.
Video uploaded to YouTube by SkillsMalaysia

Asean’s most developed member nation, Singapore, earned three gold medals, one silver and seven bronze. As the only country to win a gold medal winner for information network cabling skill, it also received he award for the Best Nation in this category.

Across the South China Sea Philippines won Best Nation award for mechanical engineering design cad. In total the Philippines earned one gold, one silver and four bronze medals at the 2016 Asean Skills competition.

For Asean smallest member nation, Cambodia, the 2016 Asean Skills competition provided encouragement. After finishing the 2014 Asean Skills competition medal-less, its 12 competitors took part in 23 different skill competitions, taking out both the Best Nation award and a bronze medal for electrical installation, along with a bronze medal for industrial automation with a final score of 510 – equal with Thailand.

For Myanmar and Lao PDR the competition proved to tough, with both countries going home from the 2016 Asean Skills competition without any medals, though Lao PDR won the Best Nation award for cooking skills, while Myanmar was similarly acknowledged in the field of plumbing and heating.

Related:

TESDA Director General visits MWOFRC (Asian Journal)
Việt Nam ranks third at ASEAN Skills Competition (Viet Nam News)
TVET skills equip youth for jobs (Star Media Group Berhad)

Asean’s skilled worker capital: Malaysia scoops the pool at 2016 Asean skills competition (video) added by Leakhena Khat on November 8, 2016
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.