SHAH ALAM: Rural youth should aim for high-value careers like semiconductor technicians and software developers and not treat farming or handicraft as the ceiling of their ambitions, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, said a young person's location should not decide the kind of work they could take up, and that the real challenge facing rural youth was a shortage of opportunity, not talent.
"I have never believed that rural children are less talented. Given the same room and opportunity, a young person from Gerik can compete with one from Kuala Lumpur," he said when opening the Rural Youth Convention 2026 here on Tuesday (Sept 1).
Ahmad Zahid, who chairs the National TVET Council, said rural youth could work in any sector, from semiconductor technicians and software developers to drone operators, green energy specialists and technology entrepreneurs.
He said the country had made progress, with the median monthly household income in rural areas rising to RM4,588 in 2024 and rural internet access reaching 90.7% in 2025.
Access on its own, however, was not enough, he said.
"Internet must open up opportunities to earn income. Training must lead to better jobs. Infrastructure must help the local economy grow," he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the national unemployment rate was around 3%, but joblessness among youth aged 15 to 24 remained at about 10%, which he said showed there was still much room to improve.
In a world being reshaped by artificial intelligence and automation, he said, a certificate alone was no longer enough.
"Skills are the new currency in today's economy," he said, adding that young people needed usable skills, the ability to solve problems and the capacity to create value.
He said 281 TVET institutions under his ministry offered 588 skills programmes to more than 70,000 students, with a graduate employability rate of about 96.2%.
Ahmad Zahid also told the youth not to fear leaving home to study or work elsewhere, saying they did not need to remain in their villages to prove their attachment to them.
"If there is a chance to study in Kuala Lumpur, go. If there is a good job in Johor, seize it. If there is a chance to gain experience abroad, go and see the world," he said.
He said contributing to one's village did not mean having to return and settle there, and that what mattered was that the knowledge and networks gained were eventually channelled back to benefit the community.
He left the audience with a four-part message of go, master, create and return, urging young people to step out of their comfort zone, master a field of real value, build solutions where they saw problems, and give back to the place that raised them.
More than 300 young people from across the country, including Sabah and Sarawak, attended the convention at Hilton Shah Alam Glenmarie, held under the theme "Desa DNA Kita" (Our Village DNA).
