KARAK, 1 APRIL 2022 – Fifty out of 63 graduates and graduands (79%) secured permanent employment in the bio-pharmaceutical and modern agriculture fields after joining the BioAgrotech & BioPharmaceutical Employability and Entrepreneurship Specialised Training programme (BeST 2.0). Conducted by Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corporation), the BeST 2.0 programme began in September 2021 and will run until June 2022. Through the programme, local and international graduates and graduands were placed as apprentices in selected bio-pharmaceutical or modern farming companies, where they received trainings related to soft and technical skills, as well as industry-work experience for six months before they were offered permanent positions either in the placement companies or other companies.
Of these, 39 out of 48 apprentices (81.3%) secured employment in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors, while 11 out of 15 apprentices (73.1%) found employment in the biopharmaceutical sector. These achievements exceeded the KPI targets set for BeST 2.0 in 2021, which are more than 40% for the agriculture and aquaculture sectors and more than 60% for the bio-pharmaceutical sector.
Chief Executive Officer of Bioeconomy Corporation, En Mohd Khairul Fidzal Abdul Razak stated that BeST 2.0 could reduce youth unemployment among Malaysian graduates who face difficulty in finding jobs and salaries that match their academic qualifications, especially in modern agriculture and bio-pharmaceutical fields.
“We work closely with private companies to provide graduates with relevant skills, knowledge and work experience in these industries. Subsequently, the companies are supplied with a workforce that meets the needs of the industries as well as the companies’ required criteria and academic qualifications. Through BeST 2.0, Bioeconomy Corporation not only matches employers with the most suitable workforce, we also aim to produce highly skilled, tech-savvy, and highly motivated entrepreneurs that fulfill the demands of modern industries. Therefore, Bioeconomy Corporation will monitor the progress of BeST 2.0 apprentices for two years after the training is completed to ensure their career path continues to advance,” he said in his speech during the BeST 2.0 familiarisation visit and certificate presentation session at the farm of BioNexus status company Green World Genetics Sdn Bhd’s (GWG), here today.
He further said modern agriculture and bio-pharmaceutical were given priority in BeST 2.0 as these areas play an important role in ensuring food security and health for the people and the country, especially in the midst of COVID-19. In addition, these two areas encourage youths to apply modern technology in their daily work, thereby supporting Malaysia’s economic development and productivity. BeST 2.0 can also increase the involvement of youths in the modern agricultural and bio-pharmaceutical industries, improve their perception of new technological areas, and reduce dependence on foreign workers in modern industries. This is in line with the government’s aspiration to produce a local workforce centred on youths who are innovative, highly skilled and capable, in line with the Vision for Shared Prosperity 2030 and the National Agro-Food Policy 2021-2030 (DAN 2.0).
The BeST 2.0 programme is approved by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP) and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI). It is a programme under the BioAcademy unit of Bioeconomy Corporation, following the BeST 1.0 programme that was launched in 2007 to ensure continuity in producing highly skilled human capital that contributes to the development and advancement of the biotechnology and bio-based industries. Apart from GWG, Biocon Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sunway XFarms Sdn Bhd, and InterVenn Biosciences Malaysia Sdn Bhd are also involved in the BeST 2.0 program as placement companies for apprentices. For more information about BeST 2.0, please visit https://www.