Accelerate New TVET Ecosystem To Meet 60,000 Engineer Target, Says Ahmad Zahid

LANGKAWI, May 20 (Bernama) -- A new ecosystem in education, particularly in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), must be accelerated to achieve the government’s target of producing 60,000 highly skilled engineers.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said student intake into engineering programmes must also be increased and given more focus.

“The country currently needs 60,000 engineers, but we’re only able to produce around 6,000 a year. So, we must expedite the development of a new learning ecosystem to meet this target.

“We will also focus on school leavers from fully residential schools, in addition to Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) and private Maahad Tahfiz, to encourage their participation in the engineering field,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of five Memoranda of Agreement (MoA) between Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL MIAT) and five industry players in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’25) here today.

Ahmad Zahid said more Maahad Tahfiz graduates will be recruited to pursue engineering programmes at UniKL and Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM), especially in the aerospace field.

He said there are currently 1,962 students enrolled in aerospace courses at UniKL, including 129 huffaz graduates from Maahad Tahfiz Ulul Albab.

“I am grateful that these huffaz students are well-received not only by UniKL MIAT but also by industry players, as they are able to grasp the syllabus introduced to them and adapt quickly in practical settings,” he said.

On today’s MoAs involving UniKL MIAT and five industry players, Ahmad Zahid said the collaborations include Galaxy Aerospace, Aerostar Technologies, Global Turbine Asia, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Pen Aviation.

He said these strategic partnerships not only enhance UniKL MIAT’s curriculum and technical training, but also strengthen Malaysia’s position as a key regional aerospace industry hub.

-- BERNAMA