New skills offer better employment prospects for youth in Sabah’s oil palm sector

Tawau, Malaysia (ILO News) - Young people on oil palm plantations in Malaysia’s Sabah state are gaining education and learning new skills that will help lead to better improved employment opportunities. 

The International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with Sawit Kinabalu Group and the Sabah Skills & Technology Centre (SSTC), kicked off the First Pilot Training at the Sungai Balung Oil Palm Estate in Tawau on 21 January 2025.

The training programme targets young people aged 15–24 in Tawau Division, Sabah, providing them with training in occupational health and safety, and entrepreneurship, while strengthening the existing Community Learning Centres (CLC). 

© ILO

By equipping youth with better skills and emphasizing the importance of education, the initiative aims to open pathways to improved employment opportunities for children and youth living in and around oil palm plantations.

With the facilitation by Sawit Kinabalu, 20 students – 7 females and 13 males –  from the CLC participated in the First Pilot Training. This saw them learn about occupational safety and health in the oil palm industry as well as basic computer skills such as the use of the Microsoft Office and social media. 

Sawit Kinabalu also sponsored the uniforms for the training programme as well as made available the use of the computer facilities for this purpose.

The training programme took place as part of the "Promoting Socio-economic Inclusion Through Enhanced Access to Education for Children and Training Opportunities for Young Workers on Plantations in Sabah" initiative, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the ILO and UNICEF.

"By providing young people with education and essential skills, we are not only opening doors to better employment but also ensuring a more sustainable and inclusive future for the next generation in Sabah’s oil palm sector," said ILO’s Josh Hong Man Fatt, the National Programme Coordinator.