ROLES OF UMS-LIC IN OVERCOMING ICT DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AMONG SMES IN LABUAN

Tamrin Amboala; Say Leng Goh; Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad

doi:10.51200/ljms.vi.3002

Authors

Tamrin Amboala Labuan School of Informatics Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Say Leng Goh Labuan School of Informatics Science, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad Labuan School of International Business and Finance, Universiti Malaysia Sabah

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51200/ljms.vi.3002

Keywords:

Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Training, Skills Development Barrier

Abstract

UMS KAL as a University is always perceived as a workforce supplier rather than as a continual training partner and provider for SMEs and professionals at Labuan. As an
International financial hub the ability to adopt ICT and e-commerce among SMEs are no longer an option. A campus located in Labuan offers great opportunities to be grasped by SMEs to achieve that goal. However, due to the growth characteristic of ICT, skills shortages will remain as an issue haunting SMEs. Continuous staff training is the way out, however many SMEs are reluctant to train their workforce. Issues and barriers pertaining to skills development were reviewed by referencing previous studies undertaken. The paper highlights ICT skill challenges facing SMEs in Labuan. The paper concludes by outlining several suggestions to improve on ICT development among SMEs in Labuan. This paper highlights how UMS-LIC can play its important part to promote socio-economic development in the field of ICT.