This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on December 19, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Prasarana Malaysia Bhd intends to combine its bus and rail academies into a single institution, aspiring to develop it into a specialist in land transportation technical training and vocational courses.

Speaking to reporters at a graduation ceremony of Prasarana’s Rapid Bus Academy and Rapid Rail Academy yesterday, president and group chief executive officer Datuk Mohamed Hazlan Mohamed Hussain said the consolidation is part of the group’s five-year transformation plan to build talent more effectively.

“We are working on a five-year transformation plan, where we will have many initiatives and strategies covering all of our businesses. Education is one of our focuses, to build talent internally and increase our collaborations with other higher education institutions,” he said, without elaborating further on the transformation plan.

Mohamed Hazlan was appointed to helm Prasarana on Sept 3 this year, to improve the state-owned infrastructure company’s financial position.

Prasarana group chief operating officer for strategy and transformation Ang Yoke Kee, meanwhile, said the group had outlined the transformation plan and provided the finance ministry (MoF) and transport ministry (MoT) with updates on the progress.

“We are working on it, and we have briefed the transport minister and finance minister. We work very closely with them and provide the MoT and MoF with updates on the progress; we are very lucky to have their support in what we do,” Ang added.