BANGI: Malaysia has extended an invitation for a representative from Germany to sit on the National Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) Council.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this was the first foreign appointment in the council and Malaysia will be extending more invitations soon.
"Industry players from Germany have offered to contribute in terms of knowledge, experience and technology to the TVET institutions in Malaysia.
"So, when I was in Berlin, I had extended the invitation to the German Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia to send a representative to sit on the national TVET Council.
"The German ambassador will discuss with them and one of the chief executive officers from the German companies will sit on the council," he told reporters after launching the Industry Advisory Council summit at the German-Malaysian Institute today (March 5).
Zahid had led a delegation to Berlin, Germany in Oct 2023 to glean insights and wisdom from Germany's experiences and to learn from the best practices that have elevated the German vocational programme to an international benchmark.
Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development minister, said he would be extending invitations to industry players from other countries to sit on the council.
"I will also invite other industry players from several countries that have TVET institutions in our country to sit on the council to foster inclusivity.
"I will also invite other industry players from several countries that have TVET institutions in our country to participate in the council to foster greater inclusivity.
"This way, they can not only share new knowledge and technologies with us but at the same time, their companies in Malaysia can sign a memorandum of understandings to hire TVET graduates with premium salaries, which is indeed a new approach," he said.
Earlier in his speech, Zahid said the government's target was to increase the number of secondary school leavers entering TVET to 55 per cent by 2025.
In 2022, 40.91 per cent of secondary school leavers entered TVET institutions.
"The employability rate of TVET institution graduates in Malaysia reached 92.5 per cent in 2022, which is commendable.
"However, we remain vigilant and strive to maintain a high employability rate among TVET graduates," he said, adding that efforts to promote TVET as a strategic career pathway must be intensified.
This includes changing public perception and addressing societal biases towards TVET education.
He added that close ties with industry stakeholders were fundamental to the success of TVET programmes to ensure that the curricula remain relevant and responsive to the evolving needs of the industry.
To date, there are 1,345 TVET institutions in Malaysia.