KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 106,000 applications have been received from youths nationwide to join Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses since the intake process was centralised under the TVET Intake Unit (UPTVET) beginning early last month.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the number was expected to rise to at least 150,000 applications by the end of June, reflecting the effectiveness of the new approach.
Ahmad Zahid said not all youths excelled academically, so the TVET pathway should be given due attention as a practical alternative that promised a bright future.
"If they manage to reach the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Level 3 (SKM-3), it is already equivalent to the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and can secure them a minimum salary of RM2,500. In fact, SKM-4 and SKM-5 are equivalent to diploma-level qualifications," he said during the closing ceremony of the Federal Territory-level 2025 National Youth Day celebration here on Sunday (May 18), which was also attended by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the National TVET Council chairman said that six universities were ready to offer TVET courses, namely Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Universiti Selangor (Unisel), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, and Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA).
Meanwhile, the Rural and Regional Development Minister said that besides youth enrolment in these institutions, the government was also focusing on assisting 1.16 million youths in the e-hailing, p-hailing and creative industries.
He said many of them possessed talent but lacked formal qualifications, and if they remained in these sectors without upskilling, their productivity might decline by the age of 40.
"For their future, the government is offering reskilling and upskilling programmes in TVET fields so they can enhance their skills and income. A daily allowance will also be provided to ease the financial impact during the training period," he said.
In addition, Ahmad Zahid voiced concern over the rate of fatal crashes involving youths, noting that 90% of the 6,000 deaths recorded annually involved this group, which must be urgently addressed.
"If this continues, we will lose a productive labour force among the youth. As chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety, I want the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) and respective state youth councils (MBNs) to organise special motorcycling courses for young riders, including on safety and maintenance," he said.
He also urged the creation of other special programmes for youths not affiliated with any associations, to ensure they were not left out of development efforts.
Ahmad Zahid also agreed that several special initiatives be implemented for youths in the Federal Territory, including free e-sports courses at UniKL, TVET programmes in the electric vehicle (EV) automotive field, and green technology-based programmes for urban youth. - Bernama
