Make TVET more inclusive
08 Jul 2024
TVET, which stands for technical and vocational education and training, plays a key role in Malaysia, not only in terms of enhancing the labour market, but also in terms of fostering social integration and mobility for marginalised communities.
TVET provides individuals with the information and skills essential to making the transition from precarious livelihoods and informal employment to formal employment and better paying work. This helps improve lives and also contributes to the expansion of the nation’s economy as a whole.
Disadvantaged groups in Malaysia, such as those living in rural areas, low income families, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities sometimes face significant challenges in obtaining an education and finding work. Examples of these hurdles include limited access to quality education, difficulty associated with language, financial limitations, and the absence of infrastructure conducive to learning.
By emphasising the development of skills closely aligned with market requirements, TVET offers such people a realistic and achievable course of action. It promotes employability and encourages self-sufficiency and entrepreneurialism, both of which are vital for reducing poverty and inequality.
The goal is to increase the proportion of highly skilled workers to over 4.5% of the Malaysian workforce by 2030, and initiatives aiming to improve enrolment in TVET and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses are being prioritised. However, there are a number of challenges that the TVET system in Malaysia must overcome to achieve genuine inclusion. A significant obstacle is the quality and relevance of the training provided.
Many TVET institutes do not have the necessary resources to be able to offer relevant opportunities for further education or secure employment. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that there is a scarcity of knowledgeable
nd trainers with expertise in the field that they can translate for the classroom.
Moreover, there is frequently a lack of strategic links among the formal, non-formal and informal sectors, which inhibits the possibility of students receiving realworld experience and intern placements. This in turn makes it difficult for them to gain employment.
When compared with other nations, the percentage of students enrolling in TVET in Malaysia is very low. Only 6.1% of eligible young people enrolled in TVET institutions in 2022, which is significantly lower than the percentages of 23.8% in Singapore, 14.2% in South Korea, and 12.8% in Indonesia.
The development of an inclusive TVET ecosystem in Malaysia has a number of different but interconnected requirements.
For one, we need novel approaches to delivery that can cater to a wide range of educational requirements, such as those of individuals with disabilities as well as refugees, and migrants. Creating individualised training programmes and using technological tools to improve educational experiences are two ways in which this might be accomplished.
Secondly, it is of the utmost importance to promote gender equality within TVET, allowing women to have the same opportunity as men to acquire skills and gain employment.
It is possible for TVET programmes to equip our young people with the skills necessary for gainful employment and social mobility if barriers to entry are removed and high-quality, relevant training is ensured.
Building a TVET ecosystem that really serves all members of society and creating an inclusive and equitable future for Malaysia requires the joint efforts of diverse stakeholders, guided by initiatives such as those outlined in UNESCO-UNEVOC (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s vocational education agency at unevoc.unesco.org). This is vital if we want to construct a truly inclusive and equitable future for Malaysia.
Source: The Star
