PUTRAJAYA: The government has established the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Empowerment Committee to boost the level and standards of TVET in the country.
Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik, announcing the matter, said the committee will be chaired by Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar.
“Nurul Izzah is someone who is very concerned with TVET education and has discussed with me on how TVET can help the youths secure jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities,” he told a press conference on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah said she aims to make TVET certificate holders proud of their specialisation and skills, which are constantly in demand.
TVET skills, she said, are no longer viewed as a second-class specialisation.
“Those who are contractors, able to fix homes, or fix air conditioners will still be needed five years from now. TVET is an evergreen skill,” she said.
She also aims to see Malaysia’s TVET standards on par as those in Germany, which now serves as the backbone of the country.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Youth Council (MYC) hoped that Nurul Izzah will look towards creating a single accreditation system and help facilitate students’ mobility at all TVET institutions.
MYC information chief Mohammad Rizan Hassan also called for TVET programmes to be further improved and have more quality to ensure the marketability of students.
“This can be done by holding industry-led programmess to reduce skills abatement, reduce low-impact and overlapping programs, optimise resources for better return on investment. Loans or grants funding training must to be improved, as well as the development of qualified instructors to improve delivery,” he said.
Rizan expressed hope that Nurul Izzah would put more emphasis on rebranding TVET so that it would attract the interest of school leavers’.
“MYC is also offering itself to be involved in the committee to represent skilled youth in the country so that issues and challenges concerning them can be relayed straight to the policy makers,” he added.