THE state government has doubled its allocation for the Penang Internship Subsidy Programme (PISP) from RM500,000 last year to RM1 million this year, demonstrating its commitment to supporting talent development.
Datuk Seri Lee Kah Choon, the special investment adviser to the Chief Minister of Penang, announced the subsidy increase to help companies pay the allowances to interns.
“We have also asked the companies to increase the allowances for the interns.
“They (interns) will be paid a minimum of RM1,300 (per month), of which RM400 will be paid by Penang CAT centre and RM900 will be paid by the respective companies.
“We want to attract more talented workers to Penang and want to make them feel more comfortable and secure.
“We want to share the many opportunities that are available here to all the Malaysian talents as well as to sustain the economic expansion of Penang,” Lee said during a press conference at Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) today.
Lee also added that the state government wants to give opportunity to Malaysians to explore the workforce in Penang and join the conducive ‘work-live-play’ environment.
According to Lee, last year’s PISP attracted a total of 285 participants, with 22 companies receiving subsidy support from the state government.
Speaking about the investment, Lee said that in 2022, Penang’s approved manufacturing investments garnered RM13.7 billion, of which foreign direct investment (FDI) contributed 71% (RM9.7 billion) of the total investment inflows.
For the domestic direct investment (DDI), Lee said it collected RM4 billion, accounting for 29% of the total investment.
“The FDI has helped to create a total of 15,752 job opportunities last year. And apart from creating job opportunities, the FDI has also helped to expand local companies as well as provide business opportunities for them.
“That is the reason why the local businesses invested a total of RM4 billion (29%) into the economy as they had expanded their businesses to support the FDI,” Lee said.
Lee said Penang recorded a total of RM161 billion approved manufacturing investment over the past 10 years (2013 to 2022), leading to the creation of over 140,000 jobs.
The registration for the PISP 2023 can be done via www.penangcatcentre.my. The closing date is on Dec 31 this year.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud