Kuala Lumpur, 2 October: The ‘Program Latihan Kemahiran Industri ECRL’ (PLKI-ECRL) has embarked on a recruitment drive to train and employ locals particularly from the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang in a bid to complement the development of the rail construction sector.
The PLKI-ECRL programme is targeting to recruit construction personnel with experience in tunneling and ground treatment works as well as those whom are interested to work as lab assistant, metal workers, and general workers to participate in the construction works of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project.
Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) and China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd (CCC- ECRL) said successful applicants will be enrolled under the PLKI-ECRL’s November 2020 intake where they will go through one month of classroom training and another month of on-the-job training prior to being employed at various ECRL construction sites in the East Coast.
“We are pleased to note that PLKI-ECRL trainees that have successfully completed the programme will be automatically offered employment under the ECRL project. The move is to ensure adequate local manpower for the ECRL project in the near term and will further raise their employability in the construction sector in the long term,” said MRL and CCC-ECRL in a statement today.
The PLKI-ECRL, a joint Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by MRL and CCC-ECRL, is expected to resume from November 2020 onwards to benefit up to 5,000 aspiring local trainees to be involved in the construction phase of the ECRL as well as its operation & maintenance phase.
They also said the PLKI-ECRL recruitment drive is opened to Malaysians aged 18 years and above that possess at least one year of experience in the related construction field, noting that interested candidates may apply online via www.cccecrl.com or www.mrl.com.my, or have their applications emailed to [email protected] by 12 October 2020. Candidates may also drop applications at ECRL drop boxes available at JobsMalaysia offices in Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, and Kuantan.
MRL Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Sri Darwis Abdul Razak said the recruitment drive was timely as adequate manpower will have to be secured to cater to the rapid construction activities at ECRL’s Section A (Kota Bharu-Dungun) and Section B (Dungun-Mentakab) which will surge to 101 locations by end-2020 as compared with 27 locations the year before.
“We are glad that the ECRL project is slightly ahead of schedule and that its works were largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our overall completion rate has progressed to more than 18 percent currently from approximately 15 percent at the onset of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in March 2020,” he pointed out.
Dato’ Sri Darwis added that the ECRL project will endeavor to have at least 70 percent of its impending 23,000 workforce during the peak period of construction to consist of Malaysians, noting that the current PLKI-ECRL recruitment drive was a follow-up to the roadshow in Kuantan in December 2019 which attracted numerous professionals, skilled workers and general workers to the project.
China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd (CCC-ECRL) said the recruitment roadshow is in line with the company’s commitment to prioritise local manpower in the construction of the rail infrastructure, adding that candidates to be recruited will also receive training under the PLKI-ECRL in order for them to be better equipped with their job functions.
“CCC-ECRL hopes the PLKI-ECRL programme will be able to attract over a thousand skilled workers and general workers from the East Coast states that have some experience in the construction industry to be onboard the ECRL project. Their participation will immediately complement the construction activities at Section A and Section B of the alignment which have since picked up speed,” said the company noting that it will proactively hold roadshows to provide opportunities for Malaysians.
MRL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc.), is the project and asset owner of the ECRL while CCC-ECRL is the main contractor. Scheduled for completion by December 2026, the 640-km ECRL network will traverse the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang before linking the Klang Valley on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
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Released by the Corporate Communications Department of Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd. For further information, please contact: Rosmah Mahmud at (03-6411 5800 ext. 5830 / [email protected]) or Yong Min Wei at (03- 6411 5800 ext. 5835 / [email protected]).