Kota Kinabalu: More than 1,000 young people from Sabah and Labuan are taking part in a science, technology and innovation (STI) programme aimed at developing skills for the future workforce.
Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal said the Sabah Zone STI Integrated Cultivation Programme 2026 provides early exposure to areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, drones, coding and digital technology.
He said Malaysia Techlympics, one of several initiatives under the programme, attracted 1,043 registered participants from Sabah and Labuan, with the competition at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) selecting participants for the national finals in Serdang in November.
Yusof said the programme’s outreach initiatives had also involved about 4,725 students and 336 teachers from Sabah and Labuan through various training activities, while promising participants would receive mentoring to help develop their ideas into projects or products addressing industry and community needs.
He said after launching the programme at UMS here on Monday that Sabah had potential in areas including biodiversity, artificial intelligence and agricultural technology, with the longer-term aim of producing more scientists and technologists while equipping young people with skills relevant to industry and the future job market.
