PENAMPANG: In a Malaysian first, rural youth from remote villages now have a direct route to nationally-recognized careers in professional home care, following the accreditation of CarersPlus Asia’s Training Academy under Malaysia’s National Dual Training System (SLDN), based on the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS).
The Penampang-based academy becomes the first training institution in Sabah certified to award SKM Level 2 and SKM Level 3 qualifications specifically for community and home-based care – addressing two critical challenges facing the nation: youth unemployment in rural areas and the growing care needs of Malaysia’s rapidly aging population.
When presenting the accreditation certificates recently, Director from the Department of Skills Development (Sabah and Labuan Region), Ministry of Human Resources (Malaysia) Peter Wong, said: “CarersPlus’s accreditation reflects exceptional dedication to quality skills training.
“As community expectations for professional home care continue to rise, CarersPlus is setting the standard for excellence in developing the skilled workforce our nation needs.”Managing Director of CarersPlus, Maria Kinson, welcomed the partnership, saying: “We’re excited to work with the Department of Skills Development to evolve the training standards that will enable our elders to age safely at home.
This is about more than credentials – we’re creating career pathways for young Malaysians who’ve been overlooked, while building the care infrastructure Malaysia urgently needs.”In 2022, Malaysia advanced towards an aging society, with the population over 60 expected to double to 14pc by 2028.
Data from the World Bank predicts Malaysia will experience ageing faster than developed countries like Australia, with a prediction that Malaysia will be an aged society by 2040, facing similar issues as Japan.
Majority of older Malaysians prefer to remain in their own homes as they age. Yet in practice, only about 30pc currently live independently, underscoring the urgent need to expand quality home-based care.
As the elderly get less healthy, the burden of aged care often falls on the shoulders of informal caregivers and community helpers.
These are paid or unpaid individuals who provide physical, emotional, and general care for the ageing person but may lack the formal basic training in the provision of care, leaving them with a sense of inadequacy in dealing with many of the emotional, medical, and physical tasks associated with providing care for the aged.
Yet, until now, no standardized training pathway exists to address this knowledge gap – particularly one that can reach and empower rural youth facing limited economic opportunities.
Maria said, “Malaysia’s transition to an aging nation presents both tremendous opportunities and significant responsibilities. We believe that through collaboration between SLDN, industry practitioners, and training providers, we can establish robust standards that protect our elderly population while creating meaningful career pathways for carers.
She added, “With the Federal Government’s upcoming regulations requiring skilled and accredited carers in nursing homes and day centres, we believe this presents a critical opportunity to establish carer standards such as SLDN’s Certificate 2 and 3, becoming the gold standard, rather than accepting fragmented micro-course approaches.
“CarersPlus is honored to contribute to industry standards supporting the Government’s strategic initiatives.”CarersPlus has been actively recruiting students from remote rural communities, presenting community and aging care as a viable, respected career option.
The academy’s culturally-sensitive curriculum, developed over ten years, specifically addresses Malaysia’s unique rural environment and the cultural needs of diverse communities.
“Our nationally-recognized training course sets the standard for what families should expect from professional carers, while giving rural youth access to stable, meaningful careers in their own communities,” she said.
Located in Beverly Hills Plaza, Penampang, the academy plans to graduate 50 students this year, scaling up to meet growing community demand. The September intake of 20 students will soon commence placements in the community.
The accreditation represents more than skills training – it’s a cornerstone of CarersPlus’s broader strategy to develop the infrastructure needed for “aging in place” – enabling Malaysians to remain safely and independently in their own homes as they age.
“This is about empowering communities to care for their own while creating real economic opportunities for young people who want to make a difference,” said Greg King, Director of Strategy and Innovation.
He noted that 77pc of Malaysian elderly prefer aging at home versus institutional care. (Over 77% of Malaysian senior citizens, when asked, responded that their lifestyle and healthcare priority is to remain in the community with some level of independence.
“They do not want to be “uprooted” and moved into institution-based senior citizen hostels and homes masquerading as retirement villages,” he said, citing a survey conducted by the International Council on Management of Population Programs published in 2016 - Ageing, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia Transition, Policy and Programs provides one key and very informative driver for the future of care.
King also noted that according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations, a society is considered “ageing “ when more than 7pc of its population is aged 65 or older, “aged” when more than 14pc of the population is aged 65 or older, and “super-aged” when more than 21pc is aged 65 or older.
