KOTA KINABALU: Graduates of the Integrated Agricultural Training Centre (IATC) should use the knowledge and skills gained at the centre to start their own agricultural enterprises instead of seeking employment.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said trainees at the IATC have been equipped with valuable lessons, not only on agriculture. but also entrepreneurship.
“This is because the main purpose of the centre is to produce confident, skilled and competitive agropreneurs. Thus, the courses at the centre were developed and designed with this in mind, and trainees were identified and selected based on their potential as agropreneurs.
“This means that the trainees who graduated today, already have the talents and potential to be successful agropreneurs. So, I hope they don’t waste these talents by limiting themselves to being employees for the rest of their lives,” he said during his speech at the IATC 26th Convocation Ceremony at the Wisma Wanita here today.
Kitingan, who is also the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, congratulated all 49 graduates and encouraged them to continue supplementing their knowledge with other soft skills such as digital marketing to take advantage of new platforms such as social media to market their products and services.
He also urged them to arm themselves with financial know-hows and to be aware of government-linked companies and other agencies such as Sabah Credit Corporation and AgroBank that could assist them in funding their projects with low-interest loans.
“I am pleased that trainees at IATC were exposed to modern agricultural practices such as aquaponic and hydroponic. I am confident that not only did it expose them to new technology, but it also increased their confidence in carrying out similar projects in the future,” he said.
According to IATC headmaster Jiffrin Mohamad, the 49 trainees participated in five different incubator projects that generated RM117,934.90 gross income, the highest since the centre first started its incubator projects in 1996.
During the event, Elfy Elniora Monis was named IATC 2021/2022 best trainee (overall), Ainelyn Anthony (best trainee – academic), Norhalizah binti Mungkit @ Saidi (best entrepreneur award – crop industry), Md Azahari bin Ajit (best entrepreneur award – freshwater fish rearing), Mohd Affendy Al-Nizam (best entrepreneur award – livestock and salted egg processing), Lickfizol S Laitin (best entrepreneur award – plant cultivation, landscaping and fertigation) and Bryan Balasius (best entrepreneur award – food processing and cafe management).-pr/BNN
