Speaker
Description
The transition toward smart cities depends not only on digital infrastructure and emerging technologies but also on the readiness of human capital to plan, implement, govern, and sustain such transformation. In Malaysia, the talent gap remains a critical challenge, as smart city initiatives often face fragmented competencies, limited multidisciplinary talent, and weak institutional mechanisms for sustained upskilling. The Talent Gap Bridging Model Through Strategic Capacity Building for Malaysia’s Smart City Future (TalentCT) project, funded by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), addresses this challenge by examining the current and future skill needs required for effective smart city management. The study was designed around three objectives: identifying essential smart city competencies, developing a structured capacity-building programme, and formulating actionable recommendations for implementation and sustainability.
Using a qualitative-dominant method approach, the project combined literature and policy review with a multi-stakeholder engagement session involving 20 representatives from 14 organisations across government agencies, local authorities, industry, utilities, and professional bodies. Findings revealed systemic gaps in strategic leadership, operational execution, technical integration, financing knowledge, and citizen engagement, alongside a persistent shortage of hybrid talent capable of bridging technology, governance, and community dimensions. In response, the project produced three key outputs: a Layered Talent Gap Model, a Smart City Talent Skills Matrix with cruciality ranking, and a TalentCT Capacity Development Framework grounded in capacity development principles.
This paper argues that lifelong learning must be institutionalised as a core strategy for smart city development, not treated as a supplementary training activity. TalentCT contributes a practical model for aligning workforce development, policy capability, and cross-sector collaboration to prepare future-ready smart city talent in Malaysia and across Asia.
