KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 53.9% of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders are now opting for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) pathway, bringing the country closer to its target of 70%.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the figure demonstrated that efforts to restructure the national education ecosystem towards high-skilled and technical fields were on the right track.
“By the end of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), we aim for 70% of SPM holders to be in the high-level TVET sector.
“To date, we have achieved 53.9%. This means we need only about a further 17% to reach the target,” he told reporters after his working visit to Universiti Kuala Lumpur British Malaysian Institute (UniKL BMI) yesterday, Bernama reported.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said there are currently 439,000 TVET students nationwide enrolled across 1,398 institutions.
According to him, the 13MP target can be achieved through the continued efforts of UniKL and its faculties, as well as with the support of other TVET institutions.
Meanwhile, UniKL BMI said the working visit of the Deputy Prime Minister reflects recognition of the institution’s role as a leader in TVET human capital development, particularly in the electrical, electronics, semiconductor, telecommunications and electronic biomedical sectors.
During the visit, Ahmad Zahid also officiated the Sustainable Energy Living Lab building, Malaysia’s first net-zero/energy-plus facility, which is equipped with smart energy generation and management technology to support the country’s energy transition agenda.
