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Eyebrows raised as TVET undergoes yet another round of promotions, rebranding

Technical and vocational education training (TVET) was the talking point at yesterday’s National Employment Council, as the government plans to embark on programmes to promote and rebrand the education stream.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in a statement today, said the government reaffirmed its stand on exposing TVET to Form 1 students to allow them to make decisions based on their interests.

“The promotion and rebranding of TVET will be carried out in a comprehensive manner to eliminate any perception that TVET is second-class education,” said Ismail Sabri.

“In fact, TVET will be strengthened to ensure it becomes a choice, just like in developed nations.”

The government’s focus on TVET, however, is not new.

There had been pockets of conversations, positioning TVET as the choice for education, in the past.

A whopping RM4.9 billion was allocated to implement the TVET Malaysia Master Plan, as revealed in Budget 2018.

At the launch of the National Conference on the 4th Industrial Revolution Skills Development on Dec 20, 2017, then human resources minister, Datuk Seri Richard Riot, said governments around the world had recognised the significance of TVET courses in supporting their national economy.

Ismail Sabri also added that the Human Resources Ministry had been instructed to increase job opportunities for youths.

“This is an important step as the unemployment rate among youths stands at 80.3 per cent,” he added, without elaborating further.

During the same meeting, it was revealed that 42,166 individuals were employed, and that 1,200 new jobs were created in January.

“The government is confident that strategies by the NEC will continue the momentum to heal our economy, quickly create job opportunities, and reduce unemployment.

“The government is also looking at several issues, such as lack of manpower in certain sectors, equality in job opportunities, workers’ social protection, and the marketability of graduates,” Ismail Sabri added.