Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and Malaysia-China Hydro Joint Venture (MCH JV) have joined hands to organise specially designed training programmes for the local youths in Belaga district where the prestigious Bakun Hydroelectric Power Dam is located.

The first programme started in late 2003 and conducted at Akademi Binaan Malaysia (ABM), the training arm of CIDB, in Kuching, Sarawak. It was officially launched by the then Deputy Minister of Works, Dato Mohd Khaled Nordin.

The programme's pioneer batch included 40 participants, aged between 18 - 35 years, who underwent various skills training that are fundamental in construction work.

The training courses aim to generate new skilled personnel in construction work equipped with the right skills, standards, competency, quality and productivity so as to keep in pace with the latest needs of the construction industry.

Besides helping the indigenous youth sector, the training programmes will help reduce the intake of foreign workers in the construction sector. Among the courses that will be taught are bricklaying, plastering, plumbing, crane operations, welder training and backhoe loader operations.

The qualification obtained from CIDB will enable the participants to get License H and I to operate cranes. The duration of the training is between 2 to 3 months depending on the type of course.

Participants reside at the CIDB Academy in Kuching for the duration of the training period, after which they return to Bakun to work on the dam project. When the course is completed, each participant will receive the CIDB Skills Certificate for the courses they attended.

This credential will acknowledge them as skilled workers of CIDB standard that meet the requirements of the construction industry in Malaysia.