Towards a skilled Asean workforce

The Star

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: The establishment of an Asean Green and Digital Skills Taskforce can unite the region and keep it future-ready, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council chairman, said the proposed regional movement would allow for concrete action and measurable targets.
'Perhaps from this very gathering, we can establish a new regional movement that unites us while cultivating the talent our region needs,' he said when launching the Asean TVET Conference at the World Trade Centre here yesterday.
He said the success of any one nation (in Asean) in TVET is no longer enough.
'Our workforce is increasingly regional and our challenges are shared,' he said of Malaysia's proposal to establish an Asean TVET Certification and Excellence Hub, which aims to function as a central body that will set benchmarks, ensure mutual recognition and promote mobility for skilled workers across borders.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, stressed the need to pioneer cross-border apprenticeship programmes.
'This way, 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, emphasising that 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 Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, and skills exchanges with Japan, Germany and Australia.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that 53.56% of Malaysia's secondary school leavers chose TVET as their first choice in 2024.
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.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, who was also present at the event, 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 in his remarks at the launch.
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 is 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.