JASIN: Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik will head the national-level Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Empowerment Committee to develop a new policy that is more relevant to industrial needs.

Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran said the decision was reached at a special meeting among ministers and ministries related to TVET last Wednesday.

“The new TVET Empowerment Committee has been merged with the previous one led by Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and it will be headed by Dr Maszlee Malik.

“Our aim is to review related issues thoroughly and devise a new strategy in order to strengthen TVET,” he told reporters after visiting the Selandar Industrial Training Institute (ILP) here yesterday.

Kulasegaran also said that specific focus would be given to the implementation of TVET in training institutions across the country including ILPs and vocational colleges.

He said the special focus involved various aspects including better allocation and infrastructure to produce skilled manpower.

This was in line with the current needs of the country’s job market that emphasised on the recruitment of skilled manpower as opposed to academic qualifications to face the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), he added.

Kulasegaran said the special focus was also to create more local skilled manpower at 35% next year compared to just 28% now.

Source: www.thestar.com.my

Comment: Hope that decisions to be made by the new TVET Empowerment Committee headed by the Dr Maszlee would not favour TVET institutions under the Education Ministry over TVET institutions under Human Resources Ministry, like how the Vocational Colleges (KV) has ‘cannibalised’ the ILP & IKBN/IKTBN in terms of students enrollment & ‘special’ approvals given to them in the past, despite them not fully ready to implement TVET programs.