To ensure Malaysia’s workforce remains future-ready, highly skilled and aligned with the country’s economic ambitions, it is vital to understand the barriers that continue to hinder the momentum of technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
This understanding, say stakeholders, will help those who seek to better inform the public, especially students and their families, about how to support the national TVET agenda.
On Oct 14, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the ministry would recognise TVET and university academic degrees as equivalent qualifications in line with the Higher Education 2025-2035 blueprint, yet according to the Financial Industry Collective Outreach (Finco) TVET in Malaysia: Perceptions vs Reality report, 96% of its respondents are not even aware of the full range of TVET qualification levels available, while 87.7% of current TVET students do not know that TVET offers qualifications up to degree level (see infographic).
As Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education Prof Dr Razali Hassan pointed out, the lack of awareness about the value, pathways and career potential of TVET can significantly affect student engagement and persistence.
“When students or parents perceive TVET as a ‘second-choice’ or ‘less prestigious’ option, the motivation to enrol or stay in the programme declines.
“This perception reduces retention rates, as students may shift to academic routes they perceive as more respectable,” he said.
Conducted from Oct 2 to Nov 11 of last year, the online survey gathered responses from 1,229 individuals aged 16 and above, including members of the public not involved in TVET, current students pursuing TVET qualifications, recent graduates, and employers from across all states and federal territories.
The findings offer a snapshot of how these groups perceive TVET in Malaysia, focusing on three key areas: awareness of TVET courses, qualifications and pathways; perceptions of the value of TVET qualifications; and the employment and employability of TVET graduates.
The nationwide survey also finds that more than half of the respondents could not identify even five TVET-related courses, such as journalism, accountancy, sports science, marketing and nursing.
Finco chief executive officer Clare Walker said addressing these gaps begins with understanding not only how Malaysians perceive TVET, but also the social and institutional influences that shape these views.
“Through this survey, we could see that TVET is still largely associated with technical or manual jobs such as manufacturing, engineering and construction.
“Courses like journalism, accountancy, sports science, marketing and nursing may not be identified by respondents due to their perceived higher status, despite being vocational in nature,” Walker said.
Finco, a collaborative initiative pioneered by the country’s financial institutions with the support of Bank Negara Malaysia, aims to provide underprivileged children and youth with the guidance and educational tools they need to achieve their life goals.
Hands-on experience
My TVET training made me job-ready by preparing me to think, adapt and perform in real work situations from the start. Unlike traditional classroom learning, our lessons were built around hands-on projects, teamwork and problem-solving tasks that mirror what happens in the industry. For example, instead of just reading about technical systems, we worked directly with the equipment, learning how to troubleshoot, repair and maintain it safely and efficiently.
To employers who say degree holders learn faster, I’d say this: TVET graduates don’t just learn, we do. We’re trained to apply knowledge on the spot, find solutions under pressure, and deliver results. Our learning curve in the workplace is often shorter because we’ve already experienced real job scenarios during our training.
Ian Chan Chun Kiat, culinary arts graduate, 24
TVET training really prepared me for the real world because most of the things we learnt were practical. We didn’t just focus on theory; we also did a lot of technical drawing and used software such as AutoCAD. During my training and internship, I was already exposed to how things work on-site and how to communicate with contractors and supervisors. TVET graduates learn fast because we’re already used to solving problems. We may not have the same academic background as degree holders but we have the skills and mindset to adapt quickly and work efficiently.
Idris Abdul Majid, construction technology graduate, 23
As a TVET graduate working as a site supervisor, I bring valuable practical experience to the job. I started as a general worker during my studies, which gave me a strong understanding of site procedures, real challenges and effective, cost-efficient problem-solving. These skills also help me guide general workers and subcontractors more effectively. TVET graduates like us are highly skilled in hands-on work. While engineers may focus more on documentation and planning, we excel in field execution. That said, we are also capable of adapting to office tasks. To all fellow TVET graduates: take every opportunity, keep learning, and never limit yourself. We are driven by the pursuit of knowledge, experience and skill.
Mary Anne Dalubatan, construction technology graduate, 21
