MYTC holds annual graduation ceremony for 73

KINARUT – Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) held its annual graduation ceremony for 73 successful trainees who made it through their tough two-year training programme with much resilience and perseverance.

The Batch 17 Graduation Ceremony held on 27 May 2017 was officiated by YBhg Datuk Chin Chee Kee, JP who is the Chairman of the Yayasan Kinabalu Berhad.

The happy occasion was witnessed by proud parents who came from as far as Kuching, Sarawak .

Joining the graduates in this joyful moment were the teachers, instructors, and staff together with the Brothers of St Gabriel, Board of Governors, Management, Heads of various Government Department, donors, benefactors and friends of Montfort.

Datuk Chin, in his address, urged the graduates to use the skills and training they had received from Montfort to start their careers. He encouraged them to aim higher for the future, and strive to become their own boss one day. He urged them to go the extra mile in their work, and not to look for an easy way out.

Earlier, in his welcoming address, Brother Francis Xavier Gasper, MYTC Director, said that when these graduates first came to Montfort, there were 88 of them. A majority of the graduates did not complete their formal education having dropped out of school as young as primary school. Yet, despite this disadvantage, 73 of them stuck it through their two-year journey and passed their Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM).

A total of 10 graduates achieved a “Trampil Cemerlang” or Distinction in their final SKM examination which included six from Welding Department and two each from Carpentry and RAMD (Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Mechanics – Domestic) Departments.

Nine of the welding graduates also passed their 6G Welders’ Certification while another seven passed their 3G Certification from The Welding Institute (TWI). Most of the graduates had not completed their formal education while some of them had only gone through primary schooling, prior to joining the Montfort’s two-year programme.

Despite the current poor economic trend, a good number of the graduates managed to secure employment with established companies based in Sabah, Labuan, Kuala Lumpur and Penang under Montfort Job Placement Scheme while some had expressed their intention to further their study to SKM Level 3 and Diploma.

Some expressed their confidence to look for jobs themselves, including Jonathan Chua who shared in his testimony that Montfort had trained him to be independent and helped him to grow in confidence in himself and for himself.

Another graduate, Fredoline Soukin, who was only schooled up to Primary Six, said that it is in Montfort that he learned how to speak, read and write in English. Starting with only two English words of “Yes” and “No,”  Fredoline went up to the stage and delivered his testimony in English.

On the other hand, Nicklonero Nasum, who is a Form One dropout, said that it was while staying at home seeing his friends going to school that he regretted not completing his schooling. While working with Bukit Harapan, he realised that he wanted to learn some skills in order to face the world confidently and to help his family.

These three graduates have received the Most Improved Trainee Award for showing tremendous progress in their personal growth development and in their skills.

Among the graduates were  18 automotive mechanics, 20 welders, 16 carpenters and 19 air-conditioning technicians. – Montfort PAD