11MP: 60% of 1.5m jobs created by 2020 to require TVET-related skills

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 1.5 million jobs are projected to be created under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), 60 per cent of which will require Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-related skills.

According to the development plan for 2016-2020 tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the Dewan Rakyat today, this will make TVET the most important avenue for increasing Malaysia's skilled human capital base as the country aspires to attain the status of an advanced nation that is inclusive and sustainable by 2020.

"The government will intensify collaboration with industry to increase intake in TVET, improve the quality of programmes and institutions, and improve the sector's overall branding and profile," says the document which carries the theme 'Anchoring Growth on People'.

The current fragmented TVET sector will be consolidated through the establishment of a single system to facilitate better coordination and monitoring of the TVET sector.

The new system will accredit TVET programmes offered by both public and private TVET institutions based on the revised Malaysian Qualification Framework.
The matter comes under the 'Accelerating Human Capital Development for an Advanced Nation' strategic thrust, one of six defined by the government in the 11MP which aim to comprehensively address the end-to-end needs of the people and the nation.

Under the 11MP, a concerted effort will be made to mainstream the National Dual Training System (NDTS) to produce skilled TVET graduates demanded by industry.

The NDTS offers employees workplace-based training wherein 70 per cent of the training takes place at the company and 30 per cent at the TVET institutions.

To meet the 60 per cent target, the 11MP states that there is a need for Malaysia to increase its annual intake of SPM leavers into TVET programmes gradually to 225,000 in 2020 from 164,000 in 2013.

The 11MP document acknowledges that it will not be easy to resolve quality and quantity concerns.
"The Malaysian TVET landscape is fragmented with more than 1,000 public and private TVET institutions offering similar programmes of varying standards," it says.

The plan reckons that an effective TVET sector is one where supply matches demand, with robust quality control mechanisms to ensure all public and private institutions meet quality standards.

It is also one where industry and TVET providers collaborate across the entire value chain, from student recruitment and curriculum design to delivery and job placement, it says. – Bernama