IPOH, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The government, through the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, is committed to producing sufficient local skilled manpower, thereby reducing the nation’s reliance on foreign labour.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed his appreciation for the RM7.9 billion allocation announced yesterday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to enable the National TVET Council to implement programmes nationwide.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also chairman of the National TVET Council, said he is determined to strengthen TVET education modules based on robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as the automotive and other high-skill sectors, to meet market demands, particularly those driven by foreign direct investment (FDI).
“It is hoped that this new TVET education ecosystem will produce more skilled and professional workers to meet market demands arising from investments by multinational companies (MNCs) in Malaysia that require a skilled workforce.
“We do not want these skilled workers to come from foreign labour but rather be 100 per cent Malaysians who have undergone TVET training,” he told reporters after opening the TVET@KKDW (Ministry of Rural and Regional Development) Expo 2025 here today.
Also present were Perak Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun, representing Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad; Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang; and the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Muhd Khair Razman Mohamed Annuar.
The Deputy Prime Minister also stressed the government’s commitment to inclusive education by providing opportunities for pondok and tahfiz students, especially those who have memorised all 30 chapters of the Quran, to further their studies at the six Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) institutions — demonstrating that no group is excluded from participating in TVET courses.
On the RM7.9 billion allocation for TVET under Budget 2026, Ahmad Zahid said RM45 million is for the National TVET Council, RM1.3 billion for the Ministry of Education’s TVET institutes, RM3 billion for the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), RM650 million for the Skills Development Fund Corporation (PTPK), and RM34 million for the Department of Skills Development (JPK), with the balance to be used for upgrading facilities and building new institutes.
Earlier, in his opening speech, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Minister of Rural and Regional Development, said the ministry is the main driver of the national TVET agenda, with a network of 281 TVET institutions across Malaysia.
“The employability rate of Malaysian TVET graduates now stands at 95.1 per cent, while that of vocational colleges has surged to between 97.6 and 98.7 per cent.
“In fact, there has been a clear shift in public perception. In 2024, more than 53.5 per cent of school leavers chose the TVET stream as their educational pathway. This reflects a paradigm shift — TVET is no longer regarded as a second option, but the first choice for the future,” he said.
He added that to date, 442 techno-entrepreneurs have been produced through MARA TVET programmes, with total accumulated sales reaching RM119.88 million, while GIATMARA has produced 50 millionaire entrepreneurs, with another 50 targeted by 2030.
On the international front, Ahmad Zahid expressed pride in Malaysia’s victory at the WorldSkills ASEAN 2025 competition in Manila, where the country won 13 gold, four silver and three bronze medals, most of which were contributed by students from GIATMARA, MARA skills institutes, the MARA Japan Industrial Institute and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
“For WorldSkills Asia Taipei 2025, I am setting a target of at least 15 gold medals, and I want Datuk Rubiah to be Malaysia’s chef de mission,” he said.
He also shared his vision that skills are the nation’s ‘new currency’, with TVET representing not merely a certificate but a value that defines Malaysia’s position on the global stage.
The TVET@KKDW Expo 2025, from Oct 10 to 12 at the Ipoh Convention Centre (ICC) here, is a national-scale annual event that serves as the ministry’s key platform to strengthen the national TVET empowerment agenda in line with the National TVET Policy 2030.
With the theme ‘TVET Masa Depan: Berkemahiran, Berinovasi, Berteknologi Tinggi’, the seventh edition of the expo brings together eight key agencies under the ministry, including the Community Development Department (KEMAS), Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).
-- BERNAMA
