The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development will implement a Training of Trainers programme this year to expand capacity and improve service quality in Malaysia’s care sector

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) will implement a Training of Trainers (TOT) programme starting this year.

Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the initiative aims to expand training capacity and strengthen the development of a skilled care workforce.

She told the Dewan Rakyat the programme will ensure higher-quality services for older persons, children and persons with disabilities.

The programme will involve the Malaysian Social Institute (ISM) and qualified existing care training centres in selected locations.

“At the same time, the government is providing incentives, including double tax deductions on care training grants channelled through institutions recognised by KPWKM, to encourage private sector participation in workforce development,” Nancy said.

She was replying to a question on measures to address gaps in the care sector through the Malaysia Care Economy framework.

The ministry has allocated RM3 million for care training this year, targeting 1,700 caregivers for the elderly and persons with disabilities.

This move forms part of efforts to achieve a target of 50,000 professional caregivers by 2030.

The government is also developing National Care Standards with an allocation of RM5 million.

These standards will serve as a benchmark for training, certification, monitoring and regulation of care services nationwide.

“Strengthening caregivers’ capacity and skills through structured training is expected to reduce reliance on unpaid family caregivers and support an increase in women’s labour force participation to 60 per cent, in line with the aspirations of the MADANI Economy framework,” Nancy added.

 The Sun Malaysia