– extracted and adapted from RAKAN Sarawak January-March 2022 –
For the first time in Malaysia, an industry-led body endorsed by the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council (MTVET) will be directly involved in the development of the country’s TVET human capital, particularly in relation to skills and workforce requirements.
Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob explained in a media statement on 3 February 2022 that the establishment of the Government-Industry TVET Coordination Body (GITC) will see a collaboration between 12 industry associations to drive the national TVET agenda forwards.
The announcement followed his chairing of the MTVET meeting via teleconferencing, which was attended by 13 ministers, industry figures, academics and student representatives.
At the same meeting, the council had approved of the implementation of the TVET Collaboration Hub, involving 11 ministries and the Ministry of Higher Education as the coordinating ministry.
12 hubs have been identified and are set to be carried out in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, including automotive, semiconductor, marine, air conditioning, aerospace, robotics, rail, telecommunications, hospitality and tourism, as well as food technology.
“This initiative will be a platform for strategic collaboration of expertise, equipment and technology between centres of excellence with TVET institutions, regional economic authorities and industries,” said the Prime Minister.
Additionally, the meeting agreed in principle to a proposed single TVET rating, but this requires an extensive engagement process between ministries and industries before it is being tabled once more in the next MTVET meeting.
Such initiative, noted the Prime Minister, is expected to “strengthen the symbiosis of the TVET ecosystem in connecting the parties involved to bridge the gap between labour demand and supply.”
MTVET’s efforts are deemed significant in realising the strategies and initiatives formulated under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
Furthermore, the 2022 National Budget includes an allocation of RM6.6 billion for relevant ministries and agencies to carry out measures that would empower TVET.
“These measures will provide graduates who meet the needs of the industry, improve the quality of TVET institutions, strengthen the offering of industry-oriented programmes, and intensify active industry involvement,” elaborated the Prime Minister, emphasising the Malaysian Government’s ultimate goal of promoting TVET as the first choice in education and career for youths.
