PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Bilateral Conference Shares Insight on Human Capital
Development through German Education and Training
in Malaysia
German companies and universities present examples of best-practices in training and
education, combined with Job Fair
Kuala Lumpur, 3 November 2011 - The Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (MGCC) in partnership with German businesses and the Malaysian government
and institutions, recently organised the 1st Malaysian-German Conference on Education and
Training held on 3rd November 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The
conference was officiated by the Minister of Human Resources, Y.B. Datuk Dr. S
Subramaniam and saw the attendance of close to 200 participants including panelists from
international orientated companies operating in Malaysia and high-ranking representatives
of Malaysian government authorities and institutions. The conference focused on trends,
ideas and examples of best practices in Human Resource development in Malaysia.
In Germany, learning on the job is a traditional component of the education system.
Combining practical vocational training at work and backed up by theoretical training, the
dual system is the direct link between training capacity and the demand for skilled labour.
Known as the Dual Vocational Training, the aim of this practice is to impart comprehensive
professional competence into one’s occupation.
Sixty percent of the school graduates in Germany opt for a vocational training. Most of them
enter into an apprenticeship contract with a company, which commits itself to train the
apprenticeship over a usually three year period. There are currently 1.6 mil apprentices in
dual vocational training contracts with companies in Germany. The annual costs of the dual
vocational training system are mainly borne by industry with a total financial contribution of
14.7 billion Euro (63.2 billion MYR) that amounts to 84 % of the total cost. The remaining 2.8
billion Euro (12.0 billion Euro) or 16 % are publicly funded by the individual German states.
The companies understand the necessity of vocational training and have awarded in 2011
around 11 % more training contracts than in 2010.
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In Malaysia, many German companies here have started their own training initiatives to
address the shortfall of qualified employees. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recruits people who
seek opportunities to develop themselves personally and professionally. Young graduates
are given the opportunity to work alongside the company’s global and local teams while
discovering a world of extraordinary challenges and fulfillment where they can pursue their
goals, develop new skills, change career path and explore new horizons.
Believing their people are the company’s key drive towards success, Elektrisola (M) Sdn
Bhd’s “No Retrenchment” motto is incorporated into its corporate policy. The company’s
sponsorship towards medium-to-long term education such as National Dual Training System
and collaboration with institutions like Politeknik Shah Alam, Universiti Malaysia Pahang and
German-Malaysia Institute(GMI), have helped many employees realize their potential and
grow together with the company.
The German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) Diploma programmes are reputed for its practiceorientated approach, encompassing the areas of Tool and Die, Mould, Product Design &
Manufacturing, CNC Precision Technology, Process Instrumentation & Control, Electronics
& Information Technology, Mechatronics and Network Security. In centralizing the
competitive advantage across industries, various technology-related short-term courses are
offered to signify the importance of life-long learning.
As Asia continues to drive the global economy, it faces some truly unique human capital
challenges. Two of the biggest challenges are fulfilling the demand for talent, and building a
robust educational framework. There is no doubt that education and training play a crucial
role in the process of Malaysia’s vision to become a high-income and industrialized country
by the year 2020.
Thus, EduGerMa 2011 offers a unique dialogue platform, providing insightful discussions on
trends, ideas and examples of best practices by the German and Malaysian experts. The aim
of this conference is to create stronger visibility on the benefits of the German educational
system with examples of best-practices by German companies and training providers in
Malaysia. The aim is to also spur the Malaysian side to adopt these practices in the national
education system, in the public as well as in the private sector.
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Speaking on how bilateral cooperation can contribute to meet the demand of the corporate
sector for highly-skilled employees were Dr. Pang Chau Leong,Director General –
Department of Skills Development Ministry of Human Resources, YB Dato Noharuddin
Nordin, Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA) and Mr.
Sebastian Boehning Department Head, SSA Finance / Accounting, DHL IT Services
Malaysia amongst others.
Representing the Training Institutions were Professor Dato’ Dr Daing Nasir, Vice-Chancellor
of Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Mr Yusoff Md. Sahir, Managing Director, German
Malaysian Institute (GMI) and Mr. Peter Bailey, Vice President and Managing Director,
Infineon Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd who spoke on the key factors in designing training
products for the corporate client. Industrial case studies were presented by B Braun Medical
Industries Sdn Bhd – a manufacturing company with their own training facilities.
The conference was combined with a Job Exchange Fair where participating German
companies presented themselves with employment as well as training opportunities.
Companies and institutions in partnership are: Allianz (M) Bhd, B. Braun Medical Industries
Sdn. Bhd, German-Malaysian Institute(GMI), Hauni (M) Sdn Bhd, Infineon Technologies (M)
Sdn Bhd, DHL IT Services Malaysia, Elektrisola (M) Sdn Bhd, SGL Carbon Sdn Bhd, Festo
Sdn Bhd, Mercedes Benz (M) Sdn Bhd, Schenker Logistics (M) Sdn Bhd, Airfoil Services
Sdn Bhd, A & H Meyer, German Academic & Career Centre and Universiti Malaysia Pahang.
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About the Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC)
The Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) is part of the world-wide network of
German chambers with 120 offices in 80 countries and another 80 regional chambers in Germany with more
than 3 million member companies and businesses. MGCC is the Official Representative of German Industry
and Trade in Malaysia with excellent relations to governments and its authorities, to business organizations
and to industry both in Malaysia and in Germany.
Established in the year 1991, MGCC is a modern and flexible service organization and a strong and reliable
partner for its members and clients with a widespread, result-oriented range of services and a successful
track record. It has a member base of more than 400 companies and has become the preferred partner for
German business in Malaysia and a respected and reputed interlocutor for the Malaysian government and
its business community.
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The Chamber is an experienced and dedicated service partner for companies from both countries with a
well-established, comprehensive and reputed network with industry and business associations. MGCC
provides comprehensive and result-oriented business services as well as strategic advice and lobbying for a
successful engagement in Malaysia or Germany for companies from all sectors and of all sizes.
More information on http://malaysia.ahk.de
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Shobini Kupper
Head of Communications
Tel. +60-3-9235 1800
Fax +60-3-2072 1198
Email: shobini.kupper@malaysia.ahk.de
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About A. & H. Meyer
A. & H. Meyer, head-quartered in Dörentrup, Germany, with its Malaysian subsidiary based in Shah Alam, is
a global leader in the manufacture of high-qual ity cable management systems for of f ice furniture and
markets its products under the registered trademark of NETCONCEPT Internat ional . With trade
partnerships in 27 countries, the company enjoys a worldwide distribution network. Pivotal to our success is
our commitment to cont inual ly communicate and network with industry partners and keep abreast of
shifting trends in the Asian of f ice furniture market and emerging end-user needs. Our pioneering
achievements include the unveil ing of the NETBOX Rail , an exclusively made-in-Malaysia product using
German technology in March 2010, and the NETBOX Point, which bagged the coveted Red Dot Design
Award for outstanding industrial product design in March, 2011. Our factory in Shah Alam is organized under
f ive dif ferent departments: Finance, Sales, Marketing, Production and Qual ity Assurance.
About Allianz Malaysia Berhad
Founded in 1890, Allianz is present in more than 70 countries with over 150,000 employees. Allianz provides
its 75 million customers worldwide a comprehensive range of services in the areas of property and casualty
insurance, life and health insurance, and asset management In Asia Pacific, Allianz is present in 15 markets
offering its core businesses of property and casualty insurance, life and health insurance and asset
management.
Allianz Malaysia Berhad is one of the leading insurance providers in the country with more than 50 branches
nationwide, and employing over 1600 staff. Offering both general and life insurance, Allianz Malaysia Berhad
has two subsidiaries; Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad (“AGIC”) and Allianz Life
Insurance Malaysia offering general and life insurance solutions AGIC is the leading general insurer in
Malaysia and has a broad spectrum of services in personal lines; small to medium enterprise business and
large industrial risks. Whereas ALIM offers a comprehensive range of life and health insurance and
investment-linked products and is one of the fastest growing life insurers in Malaysia.
About B Braun Medical Industries Sdn Bhd
B. Braun – Sharing Expertise. The B. Braun name is synonymous with expertise in healthcare. The
company develops, manufactures, and markets products and services for the medical field, and is one of the
world’s leading suppliers to hospitals and healthcare providers.
“Sharing Expertise” is our guiding principle. Every day, some 40,000 B. Braun employees in over 50
countries share their vast knowledge of pharmaceutical and medical technology products with one another
and our customers. For over 170 years, the B. Braun group has set a tradition of setting the standards in
medical practice by offering innovative products and services. In 2010, B. Braun generated sales of
approximately €4.02 billion.
B. Braun’s operational business is led from its headquarters in Melsungen, Germany. The company’s
operations are organized into four divisions – Hospital Care, Aesculap, Out Patient Market, and B. Braun
Avitum. Management of the company as a whole and that of its divisions is based in Germany, while the
Centers of Excellence (CoE) are also managed from a variety of international locations. In all, B. Braun
offers over 30,000 products, 95 per cent of which are manufactured by the company. B. Braun’s expanded
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portfolio includes consulting and other services, making it a service provider that works in partnership with
customers to determine the best solution for each and every patient, thus, making a significant contribution to
medical advancements around the world.
About DHL IT Services Malaysia
DHL, a global market leader in the logistics industry is recognized as "The Logisctics Company For The
World". DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail
transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed
of more than 220 countries and territories and about 275,000 employees worldwide, we offer our customers
superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its
social responsibility by supporting climate protection programmes and is involved in disaster management
mission as well as ensuring equal opportunity to education for the young generation.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL and the Group reported revenue of more than 51 billion euros in 2010.
About Elektrisola (M) Sdn Bhd
ELEKTRISOLA Group was founded in 1948 by Dr Gerd Schildbach in Eckenhagen, Germany. Since then
ELEKTRISOLA has tremendously grown and become the world’s market leader with 8 plants worldwide –
Germany, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Mexico, Malaysia and China. We design and build our own production
machineries to produce fine and ultrafine enamelled copper magnet wire - a high technology product which
is 3 times finer than hair!
With an investment of RM500 million, ELEKTRISOLA Malaysia is one of very few high-tech companies
located in a rural area. Situated at Janda Baik, Pahang, we currently have over 1000 employees of which
90% are local residents from Pahang. Despite the growing numbers of employees, we continue to provide
generous care for each and every of them by providing various employees’ benefits and facilities such as
company’s housing, children’s day care centre and kindergarten, clinic, cafe and bus services within local
community. Taking pride in its position as an exemplary Corporate Citizen, ELEKTRISOLA Malaysia even
has its own fire engine, ambulance and accredited Fire Fighting Rescue Squad (FFRS) who has often been
the first to arrive at emergency situations in Janda Baik and the surrounding areas.
About the German-Malaysian-Institute
German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) is a joint venture project between the Governments of Malaysia and
Germany. German-Malaysian Institute (GMI) is a centre for advanced skills training that offers intensive
courses with hands-on practical and theory oriented in the fields of Production Technology and Industrial
Electronics.
The cooperation with industries through industrial projects on a commercial basis helps to enhance the
relevance of our pre-employment training and the competence of our Technical Training Officers. Whereas
our TEVT consultancy services underlines the expertise and experiences that GMI are willing to share.
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In maintaining the practice-orientated training approach, GMI Teacher Education and Development
Programme leads the way by generating qualified Technical Training Officers with enhanced knowledge on
curriculum and training delivery methods.
Through GMI pre-university programme - German A-Level Preparatory Programme (GAPP), more
Malaysians will be educated in Germany as future industry leaders.
About Infineon Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd
Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing
three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2010 fiscal year
(ending September 30), the company reported sales of Euro 3.295 billion with approximately 26,650
employees worldwide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from
Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo.
With over thirty years presence in Malaysia, Infineon Technologies is continuously expanding its operatiosn
in the country. Today, Infineon Technologies is one of the few companies in Malaysia that has both the frontend wafer fab and back-end assembly and test facilities in one country. Malaysia also marks Infineon’s very
first front-end fab outside Europe.
About Mercedes-Benz Malaysia
The Mercedes-Benz has a long and rich heritage in Malaysia. This heritage has grown stronger with the
incorporation of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Daimler AG and Cycle &
Carriage Bintang Berhad on 1st January 2003.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia currently employs over 280 employees with its administrative and sales office
located at Menara TM in Kuala Lumpur whilst its production plant is located at Pekan, Pahang. MercedesBenz Malaysia manages the wholesale distribution of Mercedes-Benz, smart and Mitsubishi Fuso vehicles,
service and spare parts as well as software development for global sales solutions and automotive
apprentice training.
About Schenker Logistics (M) Sdn Bhd
DB Schenker, the transport and logistics division of Deutsche Bahn, is one of the leading globally integrated
logistics service providers and started operations in Malaysia in 1979. It is a ‘one-stop-shop’ offering fully
integrated logistics services to local, regional and global clients and to be found in 11 strategic locations
throughout the country.
DB Schenker operates an impressive global network with around 91,000 people, 1200 alone in Malaysia.
Factors like sector-specific expertise, an intelligent modal split, and a wide range of value-added logistics
services that make the difference. Not to mention the excellent quality and safety standards as well as
internationally networked IT systems that complete the picture of DB Schenker’s global professionalism.
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