{"id":11445,"date":"2026-07-27T15:04:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T07:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propp.my\/?p=11445"},"modified":"2026-07-27T15:05:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T07:05:57","slug":"varsity-admissions-tvet-micro-credentials-offer-employability-pathways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/varsity-admissions-tvet-micro-credentials-offer-employability-pathways","title":{"rendered":"Varsity admissions: TVET, micro-credentials offer employability pathways"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11445\" class=\"elementor elementor-11445\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5aeaef5c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-gap-beside-yes elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-column-vertical-align-stretch\" data-id=\"5aeaef5c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-extended\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6a93a47\" data-id=\"6a93a47\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39814a43 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"39814a43\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.12.1 - 02-04-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"py-1.5 mb-4 text-lg font-bitter\"><address class=\"location-block\">\n<p>KUALA LUMPUR: Students who failed to get places in public universities still have options, including polytechnics, micro-credentials, professional qualifications and the accreditation of prior experiential learning (Apel), experts said.<\/p>\n<p>The advice came after 62,102 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) leavers failed to secure places through the Higher Education Ministry&#8217;s UPUOnline system for the 2026\/2027 academic session.<\/p>\n<p>The central public university admission portal received 235,852 applications from SPM leavers, of which 235,480 could be processed.<\/p>\n<p>It said unsuccessful applications were mainly due to low merit scores, unsuccessful interviews or entrance tests, application errors and unsuitable programme choices.<\/p>\n<p>Following the appeals process, UPU offered places to an additional 11,353 applicants from the 28,743 appeals submitted.<\/p>\n<p>Visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Ooi Kok Hin said students should consider polytechnics, which form part of Malaysia&#8217;s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem and consistently records strong graduate employability.<\/p>\n<p>Ooi also asked school leavers to pursue micro-credentials, saying employers increasingly value targeted skills and industry-recognised certifications.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The conventional pathway is to enter a tertiary institution, but the labour market is not creating enough jobs and underemployment remains a major challenge.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Even if you complete a four-year degree, it does not necessarily mean you will secure a job that matches your qualifications,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>His views echo those of Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister Nurhisham Hussein, who was quoted by\u00a0<em>Berita Harian<\/em>\u00a0as saying that not all Malaysians needed a university education, as only 20 to 25 per cent of jobs required a degree while most could be filled through skills training and work experience.<\/p>\n<p>Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said on July 24 that recognised micro-credential programmes could help Malaysians upskill and reskill quickly.<\/p>\n<p>PhD candidate in sociology of education Shakira Teh Sharifuddin said Malaysia must move away from the perception that a degree is the only route to career success.<\/p>\n<p>She said professional qualifications, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), are highly sought-after by employers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s quite a challenge to get students to enrol in professional qualifications such as ACCA or CIMA because they are not university degrees.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But in reality, they lead to some of the most employable careers,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Shakira also highlighted Apel, administered by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, as an alternative pathway for working adults, recognising work experience for credit transfer towards higher education programmes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Not everyone wants to continue to university after school.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are many reasons for that, including family circumstances and personal interests,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<\/address><\/div>\n<pre><i>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nst.com.my\/amp\/news\/nation\/2026\/07\/1497721\/varsity-admissions-tvet-micro-credentials-offer-employability-pathways\">https:\/\/www.nst.com.my\/amp\/news\/nation\/2026\/07\/1497721\/varsity-admissions-tvet-micro-credentials-offer-employability-pathways<\/a><\/i><\/pre>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>University admissions are evolving as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and micro-credentials emerge as powerful alternative pathways for students. These flexible, skills-based qualifications are increasingly recognized for bridging the gap between education and industry, offering graduates direct routes to high-demand jobs and improved long-term employability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[115],"class_list":["post-11445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-tvet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11445"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11535,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11445\/revisions\/11535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propp.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}