NOTES ON THE JOURNEY: My Beloved LA

A short history of my beloved International Training Unit or more popularly known as LA.

LA was established as one of the seven programmes (departments) in CIAST back in 2007. It was the early days of CIAST management being taken over by DSD. The official handing over of CIAST from Manpower Department to DSD was on 16th June 2007. With the restructuring of functions and personnel, I think it was a hectic and uncertain time for most of us. We welcomed many many new staffs, mostly of the higher management level, but we were also loosing many of our long-time friends who had to be transferred out of CIAST due to the major reorganization. Some, like me, had to decide where they would like to be in the new CIAST structure. We were wandering who will be our new bosses and who will be our colleagues in the various deparments and units. Previously for me, it was a close-knit, comfortable and friendly atmosphere in PL between me, Darling, Bonda, Kem, Samsudin, Zaki and our boss En. Mohd Noor Minhad. We were reluctant to part ways, even if it was just inside CIAST.

So, LA was created in 2007 and we had a new boss, Pn. Su. So Boss, En. Asrofi, Kem and me formed the new LA unit. We were hurdled into the crammed, temporary, squatter-like space, next to the Director's office on first floor of Block A. Major renovations were going on all over CIAST and many staffs had to make the very best of whatever office space available at that time. The campus was dusty and littered with construction debris all over. LA appealed to HQ that wherever possible all international visits be deferred to other institutes due to the crammed and unhealthy situation. Kem then got married and soon she got a transfer to ILP Pasir Gudang and the eccentric Mr. Chen joined LA. I don't remember exactly when, most probably in 2010, CIAST structure was amended again and the seven departments or programmes were reduced to five. LA became a unit under the PPL programme headed by En. Daud Jonit.

A few months after that, it was the the Director's office turn for renovation and we were directed to move out again. So down we went to ground floor Block E to become squatters again, this time minus Mr.Chen who was then transferred to HQ. We became unwanted tenants of the AVA unit. However, Ibrahim, Zarina, Siti Z, Gafaar and ex-PL Zaki received us with open arms and willingly shared what little space that was available there. Crammed office again!

Block J, the designated office for the three departments PPL (where LA is), PPK and KK, was completed late 2010. We breathed a sigh of relief. So Boss, En. Asrofi and me we moved up to the second of floor Block J. For the first few months there was no elevator yet and we had to climb six flight of stairs to the second floor. I haven't had the osteoarthritis yet then. If our temporary offices before were like squatter dwellings, Block J was like semi-D lots, quite spacious, lots of natural lighting from the continuous windows on both sides of the walls. Every floor had its own lavatory, pantry and rooms for expendable materials and for documents. Having our own permanent office was very much a relief, that we did not mind so much the very frequent electric supply and internet access interruptions. An later joined LA while En. Asrofi left to head the new SkillsMalaysia Unit and became our next door (next partition) neighbour in PPL.

All the while that LA operated in all that cramped spaces and moving from one place to another, we thrived as a team and we loved the bits of challenges that come with our duties and responsibilities in LA. Pn. Su was quite an energetic and dynamic leader who was always trying to find better ways of accomplishing any job assigned to us. There was a strong sense of belonging to the unit. So Boss, An and me we trudged along merrily with our MTCP, TCTP, Q-Facts, international visits, etc. I was ecstatic when Siti Z, Pn. Linda & En Adzam, who are long-time friends joined PPL. PPL was home. I thought it would be home until I retire but it was not to be because in August 2011, LA and SkillsMalaysia units were directed to move to the topmost floor under KK programme. I was very irritated about having to move again. But moving again was inevitable, so up we moved to KK Indera Kayangan on August 1st. 2011.

It has been more or less two years that LA is here in KK. A lot has happened since. En. Abu Sallehein became our Head of Programme replacing Pn. Zuraini who is pursuing her doctorate. En.Asrofi left to do his Masters and En. Hadi is heading the SkillsMalaysia Unit. Nizam joined LA along with Dilla, Apai, Shamsul, Min and lately Azmi who also became KK members attached to the other units. . Our boss, Pn. Su too is no more in CIAST. She was transferred to JTM in early 2013. Thank you Boss, for all the lessons and guidance given to us.

So, ladies and gentlemen of KK, I too will begin a new phase in my life and will be leaving LA and KK soon. I have loved being a member of the KK family and I will definitely miss all the togetherness, all the laughter shared, the stories and the gossips and of course all the food too. To my immediate family members in LA, the previous and the present, Pn. Su, En. Asrofi, Kem, the eccentric Mr. Chen, En. Hamdan, An dan Zam all the very best to each and everyone!

Panoramic view of KK. Photo was taken with me standing a little further from my desk. The entrance is at far left.

Another view of KK. The entrance is at the far right.

In this photo: Dear, Siti Z, En. Asrofi, Darling (the MC) and An.
This CLMV programme was conducted 2 -4 August 2010

Certificate Awarding Ceremony MTCP 2009 at Grand Bluewave Hotel Shah Alam. Participant was
Usin Mambetzhanov from Kyrgyz Republic, course Effective Multimedia Development for Trainers

Certificate Awarding Ceremony MTCP 2010 at Carlton Hotel Shah Alam. Participant was
Vanny Chantavong from Lao PDR, course was Vocational Training Management.