The future of electronics: Ahmad Zahid (front centre) being briefed on various products at the Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics and Information during his working visit to Shanghai, China. — Photo from Ahmad Zahid’s Facebook page
SHANGHAI: Malaysia has secured 2,500 new placements for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes in China next year.
Revealing this, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said 5,125 places were offered to Malaysian youths last year to undergo TVET training at leading institutions and industries in China.
“This increase was made following the success of previous programmes. These courses are short term, lasting between one and six months.
“Last year, we first received 2,500 placements, but the number rose to 5,125. For this year, we also expect the number to increase to as many as 5,000,” he told reporters after officiating the 2nd Malaysia-China International Industry-TVET Education Cooperation Forum and 4th Malaysia-China Vocational Education Fair here yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid, who is the National TVET Council chairman, said the employability rate of Malaysian TVET graduates who underwent training in China was at 100%.
He said Chinese companies investing in Malaysia have been committed to hiring China-trained graduates, while data shows that 54.7% of school leavers have shown strong interest in pursuing TVET fields.
He said this development would also help reduce the country’s dependence on foreign workers in the future.
Ahmad Zahid also launched the Guangqi Institute as a joint training hub focusing on the semiconductor and advanced electronics sectors.
He said through this institute, 500 participants, including students, instructors and industry workers, will undergo training valued at RM10mil for between one and six months.
He also welcomed the SIYUAN Skill Advancement and Employment Programme (SAEP), which will involve 2,500 skilled Malaysian youths taking part in a RM12.5mil “Train and Place” programme in China.
The training will cover three strategic sectors – transit rail, e-commerce and logistics, and cybersecurity – with participants having the opportunity for job placements with Chinese companies operating in Malaysia.
Ahmad Zahid also launched the Malaysia-China TVET Industry-Education Alliance (MC-IEA), which strengthens institutional and industrial cooperation between the two countries through a “Train-Intern-Job Placement” approach.
The value of co-funding for training equipment under this initiative amounts to RM10mil, involving 15 Chinese TVET institutions.
Among the participating sectors are rail transit by China Railway State Asset Management Co Ltd, e-commerce and logistics by SF Express and cybersecurity by Hangzhou Anheng Information Technology Co Ltd.
Other companies included Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Chery Automobile Co Ltd and Isoftstone Information Technology (Group) Co Ltd.
Ahmad Zahid also announced the National Association of Skilled Workers as the official strategic partner of the China Global Professional and Technical Certification Centre (CGPTC) in Malaysia.
