Sabah Handicraft Centre Implements 1,066 Programmes With RM47.2 Million

The Sabah Handicraft Centre (Pusat Kraftangan Sabah or PKS) has implemented 1,066 programmes with a total allocation of RM47.2 million, benefiting 22,038 people between 2011 and 2026. For 2026, RM1.5 million was allocated for 29 programmes involving 200 participants.

“The handicraft industry has created economic opportunities for the people,” Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said at the Appreciation and Closing Ceremony of the Sabah Special Programme for Natives (Program Khas Anak Negeri or PKAN) on 11th November 2026 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Kota Kinabalu. "Education, training, guidance, entrepreneurship, and market access must complement one another so the skills acquired can translate into products, businesses, income, and community economic development.” The progress of the handicraft industry is encouraging.

Yayasan Sabah and the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support handicraft development, followed by the presentation of Letters of Intention (LOI) to Yayasan Sabah from Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic, the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) and Sugee Group Sdn Bhd; the participation of PKS batik and digital printing creations at the KPDN Presents: Fashion Forward Batik Malaysia fashion show during Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 2026; the involvement of Yayasan Sabah College of Technology (Kolej Teknologi Yayasan Sabah or KTYS) and University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) in PKAN. Between 2016 and 2026, KTYS has implemented 93 programmes with a total allocation of RM15.01 million, involving 1,936 participants.

KTYS has implemented the Gerak Cemerlang SPM Programme (GeCerSPM), focusing on improving students’ performance in the critical subjects of Mathematics and Science. The GeCerSPM has improved the passing rate from 35 per cent to 98 per cent in the 2025 SPM examination. Following its success, participation was expanded from 3 schools of 200 students to six schools involving 300 students in 2026. Another programme - the Gerak Ekonomi Makanan Inovasi Laut (GEMILAU) was implemented to empower vulnerable communities economically through seafood processing skills, with 43 of the 89 participants successfully increasing their income.

UCSF has implemented the Exploration and Empowerment of Technology, Arts and Entrepreneurship (Eksplorasi dan Pemerkasaan Teknologi, Kesenian dan Keusahawanan or ExPERTISE) programme, with an allocation of RM750,000 for 11 programmes benefiting 314 participants comprising youths and native communities.

UCSF and the Institut Jantung Negara University College (IJNUC) collaborated in the Patient Care Assistant (PCA) Certificate Programme in 2026 with 13 students securing three-month practical training placements at the National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara or IJN) and private clinics in Sabah. UCSF’s BRIDGE (Building Resources, Inclusivity, Development and Growth in Communities) programme was successfully implemented through nine programmes covering arts and crafts, tourism and hospitality, artificial intelligence (AI), science and technology, and agriculture.

The BRIDGE is an outreach programme involving 292 participants from various districts. UCSF has implemented 85 programmes with a total allocation of RM11.7 million, benefiting 1,842 participants between 2015 and 2025, Hajiji – who is Chairman of Yayasan Sabah Board of Trustees - said.