since 1976
since 1976
PROTON reaffirmed its commitment to developing highly skilled automotive professionals through the 2026 PROTON Skills Challenge, a nationwide competition that celebrates technical excellence while reinforcing the company's commitment to delivering outstanding aftersales service.
Held at the Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training (CIAST), this year's competition brought together 34 finalists from PROTON's nationwide dealer network to compete across five key aftersales disciplines: Technician, Service Advisor, Customer Relations Executive (CRE/CRA), Job Controller and Parts Assistant. The finalists earned their places after emerging from regional qualifying rounds involving 390 participants from across Malaysia.
More than a competition, the PROTON Skills Challenge serves as a platform to benchmark industry competencies, recognise outstanding talent and foster a culture of continuous learning across the company's aftersales network. It also reflects PROTON's long-term investment in human capital development, ensuring its workforce remains equipped with the latest technical knowledge and customer service capabilities to meet the evolving needs of Malaysian motorists.
The event was officiated by Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, Chairman of MARii, who highlighted the importance of strong industry-government collaboration in developing a highly skilled automotive workforce to support Malaysia's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) agenda. He commended initiatives such as the PROTON Skills Challenge for providing a valuable platform to elevate industry competencies, nurture future- ready talents and strengthen the competitiveness of Malaysia's automotive sector.
Also in attendance were representatives from the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) and the Department of Skills Development (JPK), reflecting the continued collaboration between PROTON, government agencies and industry stakeholders in strengthening the country's automotive talent ecosystem through TVET.
Participants were assessed through practical, real-world scenarios designed to mirror the daily operations of a PROTON dealership, ensuring their technical expertise, problem-solving abilities and customer handling skills met industry standards and customer expectations.
Beyond recognising individual excellence, the Skills Challenge encourages healthy competition among PROTON's dealer network while promoting continuous improvement in service quality. The programme enables participants to sharpen their technical competencies, exchange best practices and raise overall aftersales standards across the nationwide network.
As Malaysia's automotive industry continues to evolve with increasingly sophisticated vehicle technologies, the need for highly skilled and future-ready professionals has never been greater. Through structured training programmes, certification pathways and skills-based competitions such as the PROTON Skills Challenge, the company continues to invest in developing competent talents capable of delivering consistent, high-quality service throughout every stage of the ownership journey.
PROTON Skills Challenge: Building Future-Ready Automotive Talent
As Malaysia accelerates efforts to position TVET as a key catalyst for economic growth and high-value employment under the National TVET Policy, PROTON continues to play an active role in developing industry- ready talent through close collaboration with government agencies, skills institutions and industry partners. Through structured training, competency-based certification, apprenticeship opportunities and continuous upskilling programmes, the company is helping to produce a future-ready workforce equipped with both Technical Service expertise and Customer Service excellence to meet the demands of an increasingly technology-driven automotive industry.
Beyond enhancing workforce competencies, the PROTON Skills Challenge complements the national TVET ecosystem by bridging classroom learning with real industry requirements. The programme provides a clear pathway for automotive professionals to continuously upgrade their skills while reinforcing PROTON's position as an employer of choice and a strategic industry partner committed to nurturing Malaysian talent and supporting the nation's aspiration to become a regional automotive hub.
“The future of the automotive industry depends on a highly skilled workforce that is ready to embrace new technologies and changing customer expectations. Through the PROTON Skills Challenge, we are not only recognising outstanding talent but also reinforcing our commitment to developing competent Technical Service and Customer Service professionals in line with the Government's TVET aspirations. This initiative reflects PROTON's continuous investment in people, ensuring our customers receive the highest standards of service across our nationwide network” said Dato’ Ir Abdul Rashid Musa, Chief Executive Officer PROTON Edar Sdn Bhd
This challenge marks another important milestone in PROTON's ongoing efforts to strengthen customer satisfaction, elevate aftersales service standards and build a highly skilled workforce capable of delivering an exceptional ownership experience for every PROTON customer.
