KUALA LUMPUR (July 23): Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a new pathway for economic growth that promotes technical competency and attracts more multinational cooperation by offering career opportunities for its graduates.

Malaysian Employers Federation president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said people with technical skills would be running the world because of the advancement of technology supporting present day’s needs.

“As we progress into the future, traditional ways of working or systems cannot compete with global digitalisation. So for mankind or a nation, it has to depend on technicians and engineers to work on these and improve them further.

“Malaysia, too, needs to upgrade its technical skills to manage and contribute to this advancement. Digitalisation, instrumentation and all kinds of automation will rule the future,” he told Bernama recently.

He added that the government’s initiative to raise the minimum wage for TVET graduates is a move to encourage more students to pursue technical courses and enhance their qualifications through competency certifications, which will determine their salary and benefits based on their level of proficiency.

Syed Hussain also proposed that courses should include both theoretical learning and industry attachment to enhance interaction and engagement among students in class, thus attracting more students to the programme.

Meanwhile, National Association of Skilled Workers secretary-general Mohammad Rizan Hassan said the payment of wages should be commensurate with workers’ skill level, while also fulfilling the industry’s requirements.

“If the graduates are highly skilled, the industry has no problem giving a salary that matches their qualifications,” he said.

However, he pointed out that there could be a skills mismatch due to different technologies used by training institutes and industries.

“It is not possible to produce graduates with 100% industrial skills due to the rapid technological advancement. But if we can train a workforce with 70% of the required skills and the industry acknowledges those skills, it should be sufficient to meet the industry’s salary standard,” he said.

On July 16, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Rural and Regional Development Ministry aims to raise the minimum salary for TVET graduates from RM1,500 to RM2,000 to train a competent workforce, in line with industrial revolution 4.0.

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