Kuala Lampur, Aug. 25 -- The recent announcement by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong that employers will be allowed to use their Human Resources Development (HRD) levy contributions to pay graduate salaries, instead of limiting the fund to training, signals a major milestone (possibly a crisis) for the country's training sector.

Since 1992, employers have been required to contribute between 0.5 to 1 per cent of employees' salaries towards a fund which can be drawn on for employee training.

Over more than 30 years, there remains up to RM2 billion which, according to Sim, must now be unlocked to help companies hire Malaysian graduates, tackle brain drain and so on.

One can only speculate, but presumably the government feels...