(Seated from left) Liow, Ando, Mohd Yusoff and Wan Sulaiman with Daikin senior management, Daikin Academy, Daikin workers’ union representatives and SLDN apprentices.
JAPANESE-owned Daikin Malaysia Group has reaffirmed its commitment to education and workforce development for young people, through the signing of a Daikin Scholarship Programme and a National Dual Training System (SLDN) programme.
The signing ceremony, held at the Daikin Malaysia Sdn Bhd facility in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, marked another milestone for the company in its corporate social responsibility (CSR) contribution.
The ceremony was launched by senior management of Daikin Malaysia and witnessed by the students’ parents, Daikin workers’ union representatives, Skills Development Department (JPK) deputy director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Yusoff Abu Bakar and senior assistant director Tan Sri Wan Sulaiman Md Daud.
Since 2012, the scholarship programme has provided over RM1.44mil for the education of 33 students.
Upon completion of their studies, scholarship recipients are offered full-time employment at various Daikin companies across Malaysia in sectors from manufacturing, research and development to sales and marketing.
This year, Daikin presented another four scholarships to outstanding students, in its efforts to nurture young talent.
Daikin Malaysia chief operating officer Shogo Ando said apart from receiving financial support, the scholars get the opportunity to gain work experience through job rotations, allowing them to jumpstart their careers and plan for the future.
He added that through these scholarships and apprentice programmes, Daikin aimed to create a platform for the students to push the boundaries of knowledge and contribute to the betterment of the global community.
Additionally, Daikin Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the manufacturing arm of Daikin Malaysia Group, has been recognised as an accredited centre for the SLDN programme, an industry-oriented apprenticeship initiative by JPK.
Daikin has successfully integrated this programme since 2018.
The graduates have been awarded SKM3 certificates in industrial automation and engineering services, and demonstrated outstanding performance after being recruited for production and quality control roles.
This year, Daikin Malaysia welcomed 18 new SLDN apprentices, expanding its pool of highly skilled workers.
Daikin’s group human resources senior vice-president Benny Liow said the company was committed to supporting the government’s SLDN programme because the collaboration between the corporate sector and the government provided mutual benefits.
Daikin’s internal training unit, known as Daikin Academy, an accredited training centre for the SLDN programme, would continue to provide training and support to more SLDN apprentices who would join Daikin’s workforce, he said.
Liow said this programme was one of the company’s CSR activities in accordance with the company’s corporate philosophy of people-centred management.
“Through these programmes, Daikin Malaysia aims to nurture students with industry experience, develop a highly skilled workforce in Malaysia besides supporting technical and vocational education as well as training as Malaysia embraces Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0).”
