Answer to Written Question PT095

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin

YANG BERHORMAT AWANG HAJI SALLEH BOSTAMAN BIN HAJI ZAINAL ABIDIN asks Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri to state whether the Government plans to extend the placement period of SkiPPA and i-Ready from one year to project-based contracts of two to three years to support administrative modernisation and enable graduates to build in-depth skills as well as lasting impact in line with Wawasan Brunei 2035?

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri

Yang Berhormat Yang Di-Pertua,

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

i. I record my appreciation and thanks to Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin for the proposal to extend the placement period of the SkiPPA and i-Ready programmes from one year to project-based contracts for two to three years to strengthen administrative modernisation and empower local graduates so that they can build in-depth skills and produce long-lasting impact, in line with the aspirations of Wawasan Brunei 2035.

ii. The SkiPPA and i-Ready programmes were introduced as strategic platforms for local youths to gain relevant work experience, with the hope that the experience gained will become a strong foundation in building their careers in the future.

iii. The existing apprenticeship period, which is between 12 months and 18 months, has been set by taking into account several considerations, among them:

• To encourage host organisations to offer permanent employment as early as possible, depending on needs and position vacancies.
• To reduce long-term dependence on government funding, in order to ensure the sustainability of the programme.

iv. Host organisations that have genuine workforce needs are encouraged to absorb apprentices as permanent staff, based on their work performance, considering that the apprentices have undergone comprehensive practical training and understand the work culture of the organisations concerned. As of 30 June 2025, a total of 6,229 i-Ready apprentices had obtained permanent employment. Meanwhile, as of 30 June 2025, a total of 38 SkiPPA apprentices had been absorbed into permanent employment in the private and government sectors.

v. In this matter, the government continuously examines and evaluates the effectiveness of every initiative implemented. This includes consideration of adjusting the placement period more flexibly, in line with the ongoing commitment to empower local human capital and support the strategic goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035.

vi. In this regard, continuous feedback from implementing agencies and programme participants is important to ensure that any improvements implemented truly benefit the professional development of graduates as well as enhance the readiness of the local workforce in facing the needs and challenges of the future economy.

That is all that Kaola can convey. Thank you.