The perpetuated issue against the field of Technical Education and Training and Vocational (or better known as “TVET”, Technical and Vocational Education Training) stems mainly on employment opportunities which is deemed inherent within the country’s economic structure.
As a result of the lack of interest from the youth to join the trend under this sector of jobs, have compounded the issue to bring more problems to the economy of Malaysia, including:
(a) Dependence on low-skilled foreign workers in the manufacturing and manufacturing sectors; and
(b) The problem of higher unemployment among young people.
The Ministry of Economy is focussing specifically on resolving these economic structural problems through cooperation with other Ministries and related agencies.
Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli said: “Today, I launched the Academy in Industry (AiI) program that takes a different approach from previous government programs. AiI focuses on enabling young and vulnerable people to participate technical job sector without having to have a TVET qualification in advance first because they will be trained and certified while working through the concept place and train.
This new approach takes into account the tendencies of young people who more interested in working directly without continuing education after graduation schooling.
Speaking at the Improvement Program Launch Ceremony on High Industrial Skills for Aii-SLDN Commissioning today (Aug 1) in Kuala Lumpur, Rafizi added through the AiI program, employers who meet the requirements (in terms of modules training, the type of technical content in the job, and the salary offered) will be licensed by the Skills Development Department (JPK, under the Ministry Human Resources) to train and certify their employees after they go through a period of work-training (on the job training) for a period 9 to 18 months depending on the type of skill chosen.
“This means that employees as young as 18 can start working and have technical career prospects because they will get a Certificate Malaysian Skills (SKM) after 9 to 18 months of work, compared existing approach that requires passing a full-time TVET course for 24 months before they can find a job,” Rafizi said.
The Ministry of Economy will provide a special fund totalling RM40 million for recruitment of 20,000 workers until the end of 2023. The funds will be used to pay the these costs of worker placement incentives, so that young people are not burdened by rental, moving costs and housing deposits; to ensure that the youths remain in employment after graduating from such training, and certification incentives to ensure trainees remain in employment for up to 18 months to receive their SKM certificate.
The employers will also be given training incentives over the number of trainees who are certified at the end the 9-to-18-month period.
