KUALA LUMPUR: Student participation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes in the country has reached 53.9% and is expected to rise to 70% by the end of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the increase was driven by high graduate employability figures and better salary prospects, especially for students from rural areas.
“We know that many secondary school leavers now choose TVET as their main pathway to further their studies. Three years ago, 190,000 students enrolled in TVET, and now the number has risen to 439,000 studens across 1,368 TVET institutions nationwide.
“This means we have made a game-changing shift in transforming the education ecosystem – moving away from the conventional pathway that emphasised the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) before proceeding to university,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said this in his speech at the Chit Chat Madani programme organised by the Madani Government Supporters Club in collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry at the Parliament building here yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the National TVET Council, said the employability rate for graduates from TVET institutions under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry stood at 98.7%, while the Construction Industry Development Board’s (CIDB) Akademi Binaan Malaysia recorded a 100% rate.
“Although the national minimum wage is RM1,700, graduates holding the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Level 3 under TVET receive higher salaries of around RM2,500. This is why the government prioritises TVET, with a focus on students in rural areas,” he said, Bernama reported.
He added that the government would continue to make TVET one of the main fields driving the transformation of Malaysia’s youth workforce ecosystem.
“The allocation for TVET across 12 ministries has consistently grown since I began chairing the Council: from RM6.8bil initially, to RM7.5bil a year later, and further rising to RM7.9bil next year, as announced by the Prime Minister. This demonstrates the government’s serious commitment to TVET.”
