Montfort for a Fresh Start

Montfort Boys Town, a charity centre that provides youths with vocational training and holistic education, received RM198,000 for its proposed electrical department at the institution located in Shah Alam.

The donation, from CIMB Foundation under its Community Link programme, was used to renovate and equip the electrical workshop, which started operations in June with 14 students and two teachers at levels one and two of the government-accredited Malaysian Skill Certificate’s (MSC) electrical course.

The electrical department’s coordinator, Justin Roy, was quoted as saying:

Upon completing their two year course, students may choose to start working or further their studies at selected government institutions offering levels three to five of the course, as well as diploma and higher diploma.

Montfort director, Brother Peter Isaac, was reported to have said:

Our main concern is to give underprivileged youths a second chance in life, and the course was initiated to cater to today’s demands and to produce competent workers as part of our nation’s workforce.

The partnership between CIMB Foundation and Montfort Youth Centre began in 2008, with the aim of  providing youths with the opportunity and knowledge to excel in life, regardless of their race or creed.

CIMB’s second regional director, Freddie Acho Bian, who spoke at the official launching and handover ceremony on July 28, was quoted as having said:

I am passionate about youth issues as I myself came from an underprivileged background in the jungles of Borneo… My difficult background did not deter me from doing well in my studies.

He addressed an audience of 327 Montfort students aged between 16 and 20.

Established in 1959 by the Brothers of St Gabriel, Montfort Boys Town also offers eight other technical courses – motor mechanics, printing, welding, machining, carpentry, computer maintenance, graphic design and multimedia, as well as bakery – based on the MSC, which is accredited to the Malaysian Council of Vocational Training.

Selection of male and female students, who come from all over Malaysia, is through an interview process with preference given to those most in need. No formal education background is necessary.◊