BAGAN DATUK: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic) says there is a need to continue strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes involving collaboration with 12 ministries and government agencies.
He said the National TVET Council, which he chairs, had successfully coordinated these programmes to avoid overlapping roles.
“We should maintain the current framework without scaling down (the programmes). Under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, especially through Mara, TVET graduates are becoming more employable.
“Additionally, the Malaysian Technical University Network ensures that our courses meet market needs,” Bernama quoted him as telling reporters after opening the Bagan Datuk Umno division branch level annual meetings yesterday.
In March, the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Nation-building, Education and Human Resources Development proposed limiting the TVET programmes, currently managed by 12 ministries and government agencies, to just three ministries or agencies.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said having 12 ministries and agencies overseeing TVET was excessive and could lead to various issues, including not all institutions adhering to the accreditation standards set by the National TVET Council.
Ahmad Zahid also said applications to the 1,334 TVET institutions could now be submitted online through the TVET Intake Unit. He said, according to the Education Minister, applications to vocational colleges had doubled, indicating that parents were increasingly choosing TVET for their children’s further education.
“Currently, 94.5% of TVET graduates have found employment in fields offering premium salaries,” he added.
