DPM Zahid moots setting up taskforce to cultivate regional TVET workforce talent in Asean

The Star

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: The establishment of an Asean Green and Digital Skills taskforce can unite the region in concrete action and measurable targets, keeping the region future-ready, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Mooting this, the Deputy Prime Minister said this would also ensure steadfast mutual support to cultivate talents needed in the region.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the National TVET council chairman, said the success of one nation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) was no longer enough.
'Our workforce is increasingly regional, and our challenges are shared,' he said when launching the Asean TVET Conference held at the World Trade Centre here on Wednesday (Aug 13).
He said Malaysia's proposal to establish an Asean TVET Certification and Excellence Hub, which aimed to function as a central body that would set benchmarks, ensure mutual recognition and promote mobility for skilled workers across borders.
Ahmad Zahid further stressed the need to pioneer cross-border apprenticeship programmes.
'Here, a student from the Philippines can train in Malaysia, an Indonesian in Vietnam and a Thai graduate in Singapore - turning Asean integration into a living reality through the movement of skills and knowledge,' he said.
He said Malaysia's TVET journey does not stop at its borders.
According to him, Malaysia has forged impactful pathways, including 5,125 industrial placements in China, collaboration with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI in Abu Dhabi and skills exchanges with Japan, Germany and Australia.
'We have gone to the world to strengthen our agenda, ensuring our talent is globally competitive,' he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said some 53.56% of Malaysia's secondary school leavers chose TVET as their first choice last year.
Graduate employability, he said, currently stands at 95.1%, reflecting how skills training is matching job opportunities.
'Applications to national TVET institutions have since surged past 200,000. We have also introduced new certification levels, which are equivalent to higher education qualifications.
'This gives our advanced technical graduates the credibility to compete on the global stage,' he said, adding that the minimum wage coverage has also been expanded to include semi-skilled and TVET graduates.
In his remarks, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said Asean should be a platform for experience-sharing in skills training.
'The different stages of our industrialisation and the different sectors where each has our respective own competitive advantages will enable us to complement each other,' he said.
Citing Malaysia's extensive experience in the high-tech manufacturing sector, specifically semiconductors, he said the country also aspires to be a world-class skills training centre.
'Our unique national experience will surely be useful to fellow member states who are perhaps exploring similar paths. Malaysia too can benefit from learning from our neighbours,' said Sim.
The Asean TVET Conference was jointly organised by the Human Resource Development Corporation and the Skills Development Fund Corporation Malaysia.
It is the fourth flagship platform under the Asean Year of Skills 2025.
Themed 'Advancing Digital and Green Transformations through an Inclusive and Future-Ready TVET System', the two-day conference explores how the region can enhance the quality, relevance and accessibility of TVET to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.