More than half of Malaysia’s secondary school leavers in 2024 (53.56 per cent) chose technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as their first option, with Malaysia recording 212,000 new admissions into TVET programmes that year. This signals a major shift in education preferences amongst Malaysian youths. 

Reforms at TVET institutions towards aligning training with industry needs has been credited with rising graduate employability, which now stands at 95.1 per cent. Ahmad Zahid, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister and the chair of the National TVET Council, acknowledged that the system previously suffered from fragmented governance, inconsistent standards and a mismatch between training and market demand. To address these challenges, the efforts of 12 ministries were integrated under a unified vision, leading to the launch of Malaysia’s National TVET Policy 2030, the TVET Big Data System and the TVET Madani Portal where all access to institutions, courses and career pathways are centralised. 

Moreover, Malaysia has also introduced TVET certification levels equivalent to higher education qualifications (Levels 6 to 8) and expanded minimum wage coverage to include semi-skilled and TVET graduates under the Malaysian Standard Classification of Occupations Code 8 and above. The new Articulation Programme allows Malaysian Skills Certification holders to pursue advanced degree courses such as the Master of Professional Practice and Doctor of Professional Practice at Levels 7 and 8 of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF).

In uplifting TVET as the ‘engine of regional competitiveness’, Ahmad Zahid also stated that TVET is embedded into Malaysia’s most strategic industrial zones, from the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone to Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kerian Integrated Green Industrial Park and the Sabah–Sarawak growth corridors. This is to ensure that the skills supply meets the local demand through effective industry collaboration in bridging the skills gap and fostering job-ready competencies. The Malaysian government is targeting 700,000 new job opportunities in the manufacturing sector and creating another 500,000 job opportunities in the digital economy under the 13^th Malaysia Plan. 

Opportunities for the UK higher education sector

• Leverage on UK universities’ strengths in relation to Malaysia’s economic sectors and identify potential collaborations with Malaysian higher education institutions for joint curriculum development, for employability-focused programmes, apprenticeships and/or higher-level vocational courses.  These could be courses related to emerging industries in Malaysia such as digital economy, healthcare services, green energy, and advanced manufacturing. 
• Offer capacity building opportunities or consultancy services to Malaysian TVET institutions on curriculum assessment, TVET programme evaluation and TVET graduate employability frameworks/ecosystems.
• Evaluate advance entry pathways to TVET students from Malaysia by working with specific TVET institutions.

Source: https://opportunities-insight.britishcouncil.org/short-articles/news/malaysias-higher-tvet-intake-marks-education-shift