Latest news with #AseanTVETCertificationandExcellenceHub
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Towards a skilled Asean workforce
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.
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Asean hub to promote skilled worker mobility
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proposed the establishment of an Asean TVET Certification and Excellence Hub to standardise benchmarks, ensure mutual recognition and promote skilled worker mobility across the region. 'Our TVET journey does not stop at Malaysia's borders. We have gone to the world to strengthen our agenda, ensuring our talent is globally competitive,' Ahmad Zahid said when officiating at the Asean TVET Conference 2025 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur. He highlighted Malaysia's recent global collaborations, including 5,125 industrial placements in China, partnerships with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI in Abu Dhabi and skills exchanges with Japan, Germany and Australia. Ahmad Zahid added that the initiative should be complemented by cross-border apprenticeship programmes, enabling students from the Philippines to train in Malaysia, Indonesians in Vietnam, and Thai graduates in Singapore, turning Asean integration into a practical reality through the movement of skills and knowledge. Ahmad Zahid also announced plans for a new Asean Green and Digital Skills Taskforce, which would unite member states 'in concrete actions, measurable targets and steadfast mutual support to cultivate the talent our region needs'. He reaffirmed that TVET remains central to Malaysia's economic strategy, aiming to create 1.2 million high-value jobs in manufacturing and the digital economy within the next five years. Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong were also present at the conference. In his keynote address, Sim said: 'Firstly, Asean should be a platform to share our experiences in skills training.' Sim noted that each member state has different stages of industrialisation, and sectoral strengths could complement one another, citing Malaysia's more than half a century of high-tech manufacturing experience. 'Today we are 7% of global semiconductor trade and 13% of global semiconductor backend manufacturing,' he said, adding that Malaysia aims to become a world-class skills training centre to prepare its workforce for higher-value jobs. Sim proposed moving towards a common Asean certification framework to enable transborder recognition of skills. 'If skills are the currency of IR 4.0 (Industrial Revolution 4.0), then we must work hard towards mutual recognition,' he said, suggesting that the Asean TVET Council be strengthened to take on a greater role. He also pointed to Malaysia's legislative amendments to recognise TVET qualifications beyond the current advanced diploma level, covering consultant and expert certifications. He said these should meet stringent regional or global standards and allow free movement of expertise within Asean. Sim underscored the need for investment, noting that Malaysia spends about RM10 billion annually on TVET and skills education. 'If this is an average across Asean, we are looking at about RM100 billion annual government outlays for TVET and skills training,' he said. To illustrate Malaysia's commitment to resource sharing, Sim cited the recent opening of National Training Week to Asean citizens for the first time. The programme drew 3.5 million participants and offered over 72,000 free training courses valued at RM400 million. The two-day Asean TVET Conference 2025, jointly organised by the Human Resource Development Corporation and the Skills Development Fund Corporation Malaysia, is part of the Asean Year of Skills 2025. This year's theme, 'Advancing Digital and Green Transformations through an Inclusive and Future-Ready TVET System,' brings together over 1,500 delegates from across Asean, including policymakers, industry leaders, education providers and international partners.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
DPM Zahid moots setting up taskforce to cultivate regional TVET workforce talent in Asean
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.
