AwanBiru Technology Berhad (Awantec) via its subsidiary, Prestariang Oil and Gas Sdn Bhd, owner and operator of Prestariang Skills Training Institute (PSTI), entered into a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with CIDB Technologies Sdn Bhd (CIDB Tech) in a virtual signing ceremony which was hosted at Awantec’s headquarters in Cyberjaya, earlier today.
The collaboration aims to produce competent and market-ready talents, trained exclusively under the Construction Skills Competency Training (CSCT) Programme, in adherence to CIDB’s requirement of Act 520 (the “Act”) which focuses on construction quality and safety.
The MoC was signed by Awantec’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mr. Baldesh Singh A/L Manmohan Singh, whilst signing on behalf of CIDB Tech was its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Mohamad Darus Bin Taib.
The signing was witnessed by Awantec’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Abdul Rahim Bin Awang and CIBD Tech’s Senior Manager Operation, Mr. Rosman Bin Ahmad.
CEO of CIDB Tech, Mr. Mohamad Darus, emphasised on the concern of conforming to the Act, in the virtual engagement.
“The amended Act 520 makes it compulsory for construction personnel to be registered with CIDB. This is to allow CIDB to gather sufficient and accurate data on the number of construction personnel available and needed, the relevance of skills training programmes to the nation's need, and to keep tabs on standards of construction workers.
The amendment also requires all construction site supervisors and skilled construction personnel as specified in the Third Schedule of Act 520 to be accredited by CIDB, and to hold a valid CIDB issued certificate according to their respective trades and skills.
This is because construction personnel who have been certified of their skills can produce work of high quality, be competent and highly productive. This in turn will increase the image of the construction workforce and attract more to be involved in this line,” said Mohamad Darus.
“Anyone caught working without proper registration and accreditation papers will be slapped with a fine of not exceeding RM5,000. Likewise, the same penalty will also be imposed on employers of workers who are not accredited to carry out construction work,” he added.
PSTI was appointed as the sole private Accredited Competency Evaluation Centre by CIDB Tech back in October 2020.
Regarding the CSCT programme, PSTI will be conducting trainings and evaluations for skilled-personnel, encompassing few welding fields and courses:
· SMAW – CS Plate 3F Welder
· SMAW – CS Plate 1G Welder
· SMAW – CS Pipe 6G Welder
· GTAW – CS Pipe 6G Welder
· GTAW – CS Plate 3G Welder
· SMAW – CS Pipe 5G Welder
· SMAW – CS Plate 3G Welder
The collaboration is laid to be extended to include placement and training for a fair number of certified welders in oil and gas industries by middle of 2021.
“We are proud to be a part of this partnership with CIDB Tech. Our team is excited to deliver their share in this collaboration. For us, this is more than ramping up the construction quality by ensuring skills and competencies of the personnel - This is to safeguard their own safety during the building process and ultimately the public interest as well, post the construction works,” said Baldesh Singh, COO of Awantec.
The ceremony was also graced with the presence of Awantec’s executive management members, Yasmin Binti Abdullah, Dr Peter Lee Fuei Siong and members from PSTI, streaming live from Bandar Penawar, Johor Darul Takzim.