TVET No Longer A Second Choice, But Primary Choice Education With 65 Percent Enrollment Expected In 2026 - Ahmad Zahid

KINABATANGAN, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The participation of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) school leavers in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes is expected to increase from 57.4 per cent this year to 65 per cent by the end of next year.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the TVET programme is no longer considered a second choice or only for those who fail academically; instead, it is becoming a primary choice for young people in the country.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Chairman of the National TVET Council, said TVET now promises premium salaries and cited the example that holders of Malaysian Skills Certificates Level one to three can enjoy a starting salary of RM2,500.

"In terms of marketability, out of 100 people who enter institutions under Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), 98.7 per cent secure employment before completing their course," he said when speaking at the TVET Tour Programme at Kinabatangan Square today.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, said that although the nationwide TVET marketability rate is 95.1 per cent and MARA's is 98.7 per cent, the TVET marketability under the Ministry of Works, specifically the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Training Institute (IBM), is 100 per cent.

He said there are now six universities offering TVET courses: Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Universiti Selangor (Unisel), and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.

"In fact, those who enroll in universities offering TVET courses have not made a wrong choice; parents are starting to trust TVET for their children," he said.

He noted that the country now has 1,398 TVET institutions offering over 4,500 courses, including high-skilled courses such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and electric vehicles (EV).

Furthermore, Ahmad Zahid said several steps have also been taken to offer TVET courses to maahad tahfiz (religious school) students, citing UniKL as an example, where 750 students from sekolah pondok (traditional religious school) backgrounds are currently enrolled in programmes at the Faculty of Aerospace and the Faculty of Marine Engineering.

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-- BERNAMA