BUTTERWORTH: All 25 Mara-linked vocational institutions will be rebranded as TVETMARA with immediate effect, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the institutions involved in the exercise are Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM), Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara (KKTM) and the Mara Japanese Industrial Institute (MJII).
He said the rebranding exercise is aimed at strengthening the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem while expanding access to skills-based education.
“They will offer ‘high-TVET, high-skill’ education. The existing syllabus and modules will be enhanced to support production of high-skilled, high-value TVET graduates.
“We are upgrading what is already in place so that it remains relevant to future industry needs,” he said during a press conference after the TVETMARA rebranding launching ceremony in north Seberang Perai yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid noted that not only students, but parents too were shifting focus from conventional academic pathways to technical education.
“Mara is a ‘game changer’ in national TVET development. Graduates have already begun earning high incomes and contributing to local entrepreneurship,” he said, adding that national enrolment in TVET has jumped from around 120,000 to 439,000 students which reflects growing public confidence.
He said TVETMARA is open to students from various backgrounds, including Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), GiatMARA and vocational college graduates.
“Even those without SPM, or without credit passes in SPM, are allowed to improve their careers through TVET,” he said.
The education pathway under TVETMARA is organised according to skill levels, with GiatMARA offering Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Levels 2 and 3, while the rebranded TVETMARA centres will focus on Levels 4 and 5.
Ahmad Zahid said that after completing TVETMARA, students also have the option of furthering their studies at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) from Bachelor’s to PhD level programmes, in addition to entering the job market with relevant professional qualifications.
“This is not a shortcut but a path that uses the new technical education eco-system. It will provide work opportunities as all these institutions have established cooperation with industry players.
“TVET institutions’ collaboration with industry players through a memorandum of agreement has also contributed to the increased marketability of graduates, which currently stands at 98.7%, while the marketability for graduates of IKM institutes has reached 100%.
“With this rebranding, I hope the achievements can be maintained and expand the graduates’ opportunity to further their education at a higher level, especially in terms of the government’s need to produce 60,000 engineers in the electrical and electronics (E&E) field,” he said.
Mara currently operates the largest network of TVET institutions in the country, contributing to workforce development and narrowing the skills and income gap between urban and rural communities.
