KUALA LUMPUR - The targeted approach of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has raised the employment rate for its graduates to approximately 97.4 per cent, up from 94.5 per cent last year.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the government had positioned TVET as an agenda that transcended race and political affiliation.
"It is a transformative educational ecosystem aimed at achieving full employment in our country's workforce.
"While numerous job opportunities exist, industries consistently demand skilled workers; something TVET is uniquely equipped to address by offering courses aligned with industry needs.
"In the past, TVET institutions provided courses, leaving it to industries to hire those workers,” he told reporters at the Umno General Assembly at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) on Friday.
However, Zahid said that the government had shifted their strategy to focus on what industries actually require, ensuring that the courses offered aligned with these demands so graduates could seamlessly enter the job market.
"This approach has contributed to an increase in the employment rate, now at approximately 97.4 per cent, up from 94.5 per cent last year, with TVET programmes under Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) achieving a 98.4 per cent employment rate.
"Mara has been coordinating and collaborating with industries since last year, and this year, we are expanding these collaborations across other TVET programmes.
"Our key focus is employability. Even if students do not pass their SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) exams, achieve poor results or do not continue with secondary education, TVET offers them a viable alternative, enabling them to succeed beyond the traditional academic framework in which they may not have thrived,” he said.