The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will hold a recruitment drive in Bentong, Pahang, in line with its commitment to employ some 70 percent Malaysian workers in the construction of the high-impact rail infrastructure.

Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL), the project owner for the 688km ECRL, said it will hold a one-day recruitment drive at the Bentong Chinese Town Hall on May 4, from 9am to 5pm, together with the project’s main contractor, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).

Bentong, with a population of over 100,000 people, is designated to have a freight and passenger station as per the ECRL Railway Scheme for Phase 1, approved by the Land Public Transport Commission in June 2017.

“The Bentong station would be among the eight designated stations in Pahang under the ECRL alignment,” MRL said in a statement today.

According to MRL, jobs available for immediate hiring during the Bentong recruitment drive would include administration, engineering, construction management, commercial and contract and laboratory work.

It said fresh graduates in civil engineering, as well as skilled, semi-skilled and entry-level construction workers, preferably between the ages of 18 and 35, are encouraged to attend walk-in interviews which could facilitate their employment.

“Candidates also stand a chance to be enrolled into the three-month ECRL Industrial Skills Training Programme aimed at training Malaysians with railway technology skill sets. Upon successful completion, the trainees will be absorbed as full-time employees by either MRL, CCCC, or its subcontractors,” added MRL.

The one-day recruitment also offers other jobs such as concreter, barbender, formworker, tester, welder, electrician, wheel loader and excavator operator.

Candidates need to bring along their resume, passport-sized photo as well as original and photocopies of their educational certificates to be eligible for the interview.

MRL chief executive officer Darwis Abdul Razak said the project is on track to ensure Malaysians make up 70 percent of the 30,000 workers needed during its peak construction period in late-2019.

He said the recruitment drive in Bentong is part of a nationwide roadshow that began in March this year, involving Kuala Lumpur, Kota Bharu, Dungun and Kuantan.

“MRL and CCCC also plan to actively hold recruitment drives in the west coast states of Peninsular Malaysia and in Sabah and Sarawak to rapidly reach out to potential workers to participate in the infra-rakyat project.

“We will go all out to encourage professionals, skilled and semi-skilled workers with an interest in the rail infrastructure to join the ECRL bandwagon at the soonest. The on-going technology transfer from the project will also enable Malaysians to embrace the most modern and efficient rail technology from China,” Darwis added.

MRL is a special-purpose vehicle owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated, and tasked to implement and deliver the ECRL by mid-2024.

- Bernama