Case study of GIATMARA's trainees readiness into entrepreneurship / Awang Ekshaan Awang Bunsu

MARA started a pilot project in the form of Pusat GIAT in Jitra, Kedah in January 1986. To the uninitiated, it sounds like a feel good effort, but those in the know understand that it binds all those involved in a deep culture of independence, resourcefulness and a desire to excel and help each other that have astounded many. Considering GIATMARA came into being in 1986 as a government’s effort to provide a second chance for Bumiputera’s youth left out from the mainstream education system. In the 80’s and 90’s, it was often quoted as “GIATMARA”, meaning training them or losing them to drugs or other negative vices. The problem was very real and GIATMARA took a serious stance on discipline and social interaction to overcome the problems. As the government endorsed the opening of GIATMARA on the basis of each constituency “one center for the parliament”, GIATMARA grew to become a prominent skills training institution that provided the biggest coverage at grassroots levels. GIATMARA has become a permanent fixture for their needs. GIATMARA has always differed from the others being the only skills training institution that targeted dropout youth, retrenched workers and the hardcore poor as students.