Training and Development

Gamuda Plant Operator School (GPOS) was established in 1997 to streamline the different competency levels of earthmoving plant operations in Malaysia as prior to that, construction workers learnt to operate tower cranes from experienced colleagues on the job. While it was initially set up as a nonprofit centre catering to our own internal needs, GPOS has since extended training services to other construction companies in Malaysia, beyond focusing on just our employees to raise the nation’s overall vocational skills and competencies.

GPOS currently offers three categories of training – skills competency, safety, awareness and youth apprenticeship programmes. These programmes enable plant operators to obtain Certificates of Competency, which is recognised by government regulatory bodies such as the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). 

In over two decades, GPOS has trained more than 45,000 trainees in crane and earthmoving plant operation as well as safety and health programmes across the country. Training includes tower crane, crawler crane, mobile crane, gantry or overhead crane, forklift and earthmoving plant operations. GPOS remains the only private training academy for crane operators in the country and since the Government only allows Malaysians registered with DOSH to be trained as crane operators, we are contributing to the social sustainability of the nation by upgrading the skills of local residents. As many as 75 percent of Malaysia’s certified crane operators are trained by GPOS. 

Meanwhile, the KVMRT Safety Training Centre was established in collaboration with CIDB and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a pioneering institution aimed at elevating the Occupational, Safety and Health (OSH) standards of the whole MRT Putrajaya Line project. It was set up as part of the plan to reduce risks and practices that are deemed hazardous to address rising public concerns and scrutiny over the construction industry. In line with this objective, the KVMRT project, especially the Putrajaya Line, was made an example by the Government to set the benchmark for best practices for the construction industry in Malaysia. 

The purpose-built construction competency and safety training centre covers OSH training as well as skills to train workers involved in specific high-risk jobs and electrified rail infrastructure construction. Based on our experience from the construction of the MRT Kajang Line, the majority of the construction accidents occurred during lifting operations, or workers falling from heights. 

Following the opening of the KVMRT Safety Training Centre, contractors for KVMRT projects must send their worker for safety induction courses, and we established a safety passport system to ensure that all workers working in the KVMRT project sites must have earned the necessary qualifications. Arrangements were also made to ensure all subcontractors, crane companies, transporters and suppliers also receive adequate training, while free courses were provided to crane operators to ensure they are totally competent to manoeuvre a crane during lifting, considered as one of the most high-risk activities in construction. With increased training and tighter safety strategy, the number of fatality and injury related accidents have declined during the construction of MRT Putrajaya Line compared with MRT Kajang Line. 

The Construction Management Programme (CMP) is offered via the Construction Training Unit (CTU) to boost the quality of our managers by utilising real site work exposure to train young site supervisors and engineers. This programme facilitates training with internationally benchmarked construction skills adopted from the best practices in Australia, Europe and Singapore to provide a springboard to the careers of trainees in the dynamic construction industry. CMP courses are accredited by CIDB for Civil and Structural or Building and Architectural Works.