BUKIT MERTAJAM: Some technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates can earn up to RM500,000 a month after starting their own business, says the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Its secretary-general Datuk Rahimi Ismail said more TVET graduates should venture into entrepreneurship instead of relying solely on salaried jobs.
“Based on data, about 97% of TVET graduates have secured jobs.
“But TVET is not just about employment. We want more TVET graduates to venture into entrepreneurship because the potential is enormous,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Youth Robot Challenge (Y-RoboC) 2026 held at the National Youth Higher Skills Institute (IKTBN) in Berapit yesterday.
Rahimi said the government had allocated RM7.9bil for TVET this year through 12 ministries and agencies to develop a skilled workforce for the country’s economic growth.
He said the 97% employability rate showed TVET had become a mainstream education pathway.
“The government wants more young people to pursue it,” he added.
On the event, Rahimi said competitions such as Y-RoboC gave students a platform to apply their technical knowledge, showcase innovation and strengthen their robotics skills.
He said the competition had grown into a pathway to higher-level events, including this year’s WorldSkills competition in China.
This year’s Y-RoboC attracted 130 teams, including participants from India, the first international entries since the competition began in 2018.
A software robotics category would be introduced next year as the ministry seeks to attract more overseas teams, including those from Europe and China.
Prizes were presented to winners in five categories.
Team FR Auto 1 from Freetronics won the 3kg Autonomous category, while Team Jotos 1 from ADTEC JTM campus, Batu Pahat, emerged champion in the 5kg Tower Conquer category.
IKTBN Sepang clinched the Soccer Robot category, while TMBP A from TVETMARA Balik Pulau took the 8kg Rumble title.
TAR02 from TAR UMT emerged champion in the 16kg Multibot category.
