- Wartawan Nabalu News
Graduation at Montfort with inaugural batch of oil palm trainees
22 Dec 2021
By Wartawan Nabalu News
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 19 trainees from Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) have yesterday graduated in their Oil Palm Plantation Conductorship (OPP) course joining 53 others Montfort trainees in the 21st Graduation Ceremony of (MYTC) amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are the first batch students who started their two-year training at MYTC in the Oil Palm Plantation Conductorship (OPP) course in partnership with the Malaysian Estate Owners’ Association (MEOA) in June 2019.
The MYTC-MEOA Oil Palm Plantation Conductorship course is an initiative by MEOA as part of the association’s social responsibility in the human resource development to develop trained and skilled local manpower for the oil palm plantation industry targeting at the underprivileged rural youths in Sabah and Sarawak.
The two-year oil palm course comprised of theory subjects on oil palm plantation operations which includes elective studies in basic motor mechanic and welding, basic communication in English, arithmetic and basic computer, as well as field work training and three months’ internship in various estates belonging to MEOA members.
The simple ceremony was graced by Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Bernard Giluk Dompok, Chairman of MYTC Board of Governor (BOG) in the presence of MEOA President Jeffrey Ong, two other members of the BOG Chiang Wei Chia and Joseph Tek, Brother Francis Xavier Gasper representing the Brothers of St. Gabriel together with the Management and staff of MYTC.
Ong and Tek represented MEOA in presenting the Montfort Certificates and the MEOA Certificates of Internship to the trainees.
Keevan Vanadan, a representative of his fellow course mates in the OPP course said in his speech that enrolling into Montfort for the oil palm course has helped him to be more proactive, more adaptive with his surrounding and overall fitness.
He said the course taught him the basic ways to work in the plantation industry and has gained experience on how to become a field conductor during his internship. Keevan and all his course-mates will now have gainful employment in the plantation sector.
Frederick Mah, Director of MYTC in his speech expressed his gratitude to the many sponsors, donors and benefactors of Montfort, especially to the members of the MEOA for their tremendous support not only in the form of cash but also in knowledge, expertise and equipment.
He said that the new admission for the next batch of trainees will be on 15 January 2022 and also in March 2022.
He encourages the SPM leavers as well as youths who did not complete their formal primary and secondary school education, and from poor and large families particularly from the rural and interiors areas of Sabah and Sarawak to apply.
