Johor's data centre boom pushes young professionals to upskill

Flood of applicants for programme to train technicians in state's bid to build talent pool

- Harith Mustaffa

JOHOR BAHRU - Malaysian computer science graduate Alagesh Leroy's peers are all chasing high-paying jobs with tech companies in Klang Valley, but this Port Dickson resident opted to head south to Johor instead in search of his first job.

Since March 1, the 23-year-old has been driving his white Perodua Myvi some 300km from Negeri Sembilan to Johor Bahru on Friday nights to attend an intensive training course on weekends at a shop lot unit in the southern state capital.

Mr Leroy stays with his cousin in nearby Skudai town while attending classes, before making the three-hour trip back home on Sunday evenings.

He is just one out of 60 young upskilling professionals aged 20 to 35 who have enrolled in Johor's first programme to train data centre technicians, as the state pushes to transform its economy and build a skilled talent pool.

The number of data centres in Johor has mushroomed due to factors such as cheaper land, water and power, and with it, the need for workers to maintain these facilities.

"I have friends who are working in IT jobs in Kuala Lumpur with better pay, but I feel that working in a data centre (in Johor) is a great way to start my career," said Mr Leroy, who graduated from the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in December 2024.

He enrolled in the training programme to improve his long-term career prospects as he sees better opportunities in the south, despite the arduous weekly commute.