Call for mandatory industrial training allowance by private sector will be brought to Cabinet - Hannah

She said the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Human Resources need to discuss the pros and cons of extending the implementation of the proposal to the private sector.

"For now the government has not made it mandatory that private companies must pay allowances to students undergoing industrial training.

"However, the government strongly encourages private companies to emulate the government in implementing allowance payments to students undergoing industrial training," she told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

She said at this time, her ministry was aware that the implementation of the proposal was unsuitable because most private companies were still in the process of post-Covid-19 recovery.

Yeoh said the move to make it mandatory for the private sector to pay the allowances when companies are in the recovery period could also lead to a lack of opportunities for youth to undergo industrial training.

"For example, based on the data I have at KBS (Youth and Sports Ministry), during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, 81 people (students) applied (for industrial training) but we (the ministry) could only accept 19 people because of existing financial constraints.

"In 2021, 85 people applied for industrial training but due to financial constraints we could only accept 47 people... meaning that if payment (allowance) is not required, it is most likely that companies or agencies can give everyone the opportunity to undergo practical (industrial) training,." she said.

She said this following a question raised by former Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (the Member of Parliament for Muar) whether the government intends to expand the policy of mandating the payment of allowances to students who undergo industrial training in the private sector as is done in the public sector.