Malaysia’s rail industry can offer up to 25,000 jobs, including in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the starting salaries for jobs in this high-demand sector averaged about RM3,000 and also offered a bright career path. He added that institutions like UniKL are prepared to train those keen to pursue professional and technical programmes in this field. Ahmad Zahid said although students can now be trained locally, some are still sent abroad to Australia for exposure and experience. He said the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector no longer focused on conventional and traditional programmes but emphasised high skills now.
Citing examples, he said the government was committed to turning rail transportation into the country’s main mode of land travel and had made strategic investments in the MRT, LRT, RTS Link and ECRL services. “The target is to have 40% rail travel by 2030. I am confident this will be achieved,” he said, adding that the demand for workers in MRO would increase if the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High-Speed Rail project gets the go-ahead.
