By Muhammad Basir Roslan
KUALA LUMPUR: Most parents want their children to be on the academic pathway, and wear the mortar board as a sign of success.
But for Malaysia to achieve a developed nation status, both traditional academic and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) pathways must be equally valued and cultivated to ensure sustainable talent development in the country.
Since its introduction in early 1970s to date, TVET has played an important role in bridging the talent gap within the industrial sector. With its potential to drive the economy and social development to new heights, it has been touted a ‘game changer’ by various stakeholders.
Despite TVET’s enormous potential especially with the advent of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 today, many TVET students have opted for other career paths after completing their studies.
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong attributed the problem to the mismatch approach and silo attitude of agencies and institutions related to TVET.
Concurring with Liew, National TVET Movement (PPTN) chairman Mohamad Yaacob told Bernama, to date, 12 ministries and agencies are overseeing TVET related institutes nationwide, but noted that their training programmes are based on the Malaysian Skills Certification System (SPKM), which are recognised by industry players in the country.
The Department of Skills Development under the Ministry of Human Resource (MoHR) is responsible for the development of training syllabus and modules known as the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS).
SPKM, which conforms to NOSS was formulated from inputs of industry players and the relevant agencies, which means that the certificates issued under SPKM have met the industry needs, he said.
Wastage of allocation
Mohamad who cited a report from international consulting agency Boston Consulting Group in 2009, said given that the respective agencies were offering their own certification and learning curriculum, those trained from other institutes became industry’s ‘second choice’ compared to SPKM graduates.
The plethora of certificates and curriculum flooding the market have brought about confusion in the TVET ecosystem and resulted in wastage from the annual allocation of some RM6 billion for this sector due to duplication of over 6,000 courses offered, he added.
Elaborating on the issue, he said to date a total of 3,231 accredited centres are conducting courses based on SPKM and as of June 2023, these institutes have produced a total of 689,961 skilled workers and 1,509,356 semi-skilled workers.
“Among the institutions conducting full SPKM programmes are 21 Youth and Sports Skills Training Institute (ILKBS) as well as 32 Manpower Department Training Institutes (ILJTM) which have successfully produced many high performing graduates,” he added.
At the same time, an institute under a government agency which offers both SPKM courses as well as its own certification programmes is Majlis Amanah Rakyat.
“These have not factored in private TVET providers offering skills certificates and curriculum that are not based on SPKM,” he said, adding that the thousands of graduates from these institutes enter the job market each year.
Impact on graduates’ marketability
SPKM as an accreditation system is stated under the National Skills Development Act 2006 (Act 652); it offers five levels of certification, namely Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Levels 1, 2 and 3; Level 4 or Malaysian Skills Diploma (MDK) and Malaysian Skills Advanced Diploma (DLKM) Level 5.
Based on Section 22 (3) Act 652, the NOSS should be used as a measure of proficiency leading to the award of a certificate. The document which states the competency requirement for skilled workers will be reviewed every five years by the industry.
In this regard, Mohamad said the failure of the training centres including community colleges as well as vocational colleges (KV) to offer SPKM accredited certificates would impact the marketability of their graduates.
“Graduates from these institutes tend to lose out given the competition from other graduates who are more qualified as the latter are SPKM accredited and conformed to NOSS. Obviously, SPKM graduates are preferred by the industry and employers.
“Faced with the difficulty to gain employment, these graduates are forced to work in other fields that are not related to their skills. This is a huge loss for the country especially in meeting the demands of the industry for skilled workforce as well as to reduce the over-reliance of migrant workers,” he added.
He said NOSS was developed based on the Occupational Framework (OF) which outlines the occupational structure, covering among others, work scope and job titles based on the level for an industry to directly determine the salary structure.
NOSS is essentially critical to enhance workforce skills, raising living standards, and improving the competitiveness of the Malaysian economy. Each NOSS documents are developed by a group of expert panels consisting of industrial experts and practitioners of a particular occupation sector.
In a nutshell, he said NOSS was formulated to produce workers who can meet the requirements and needs of the industry and hence fulfilling the nation’s aspiration of achieving the developed country status.
According to Mohamad, the Skills Development Department (JPK) under the Ministry of Human Resources develops 10 to 20 new topics under the OF in line with the latest technological advances and industry demands.
“But why are there ministries or other agencies developing all these on their own and working in silo, when they can always tap whatever that is developed by JPK? From here, we can see the disparity and financial wastage taking place,” he lamented.
Two different levels
The issue on two different levels of certificates are confirmed by graduates from the non-accredited institutes.
“After completing my studies for two years (2019-2021) in the automotive field at a KV in Perak, I started to look for a job in the sector around Tanjung Malim. It was then that I realised the competition with those with SKM accreditation. They were more in demand,” shared one, who prefers to be called Din.
“However, after several attempts I finally was employed as a vehicle spare parts operator and after nearly more than a year of service, I managed to get a monthly salary of RM2,000,” he said, when contacted.
In practice, the Vocational College Standard Curriculum (KSKV) which incorporates innovation and entrepreneurship into subjects should prepare learners the practical skills (hands-on) required for a specific trade, making them better prepared for the workforce. However, several former students told Bernama that most of the lessons were based on theory and taught in class, and were not conforming to NOSS.
However, Muhammad Mustaqim Zahari, 27, a Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Level 3 holder from Pusat GiatMara Tampin, Negeri Sembilan, has a different story.
Muhammad Mustaqim who completed his studies in 2019, said it wasn’t difficult for him to advance to the diploma level at the Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara, Kemaman, Terengganu as he has a SKM, and after receiving his diploma as well as a competency certificate, he was offered a job at a factory in Johor Bahru.
“After a short stint at the factory, I was offered another job as a trainer for staff and contractors of Tenaga Nasional Berhad at TNB ILSAS Malim Nawar, Perak this year. For around RM3,000 a month, I consider the salary offer as attractive,” he added.
“I notice that TVET graduates with SKM qualification and conforming to NOSS are highly in demand by the industry and employers. It is hoped that all skills training centres can upgrade their skills certification and diplomas offered to meet the needs of industry and JPK,” he said.
Only one ministry to lead
According to Mohamad, the issue that is plaguing the TVET sector can be addressed if the management is placed under one ministry as is practised in several developed nations such as Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Finland.
To realise this, he proposed that the TVET empowerment should be led by the Ministry of Human Resources (KSM) as the ministry provides an ecosystem that meets the industry needs.
“For example, JPK was set up to assess and make continuous recommendations for current and future skills requirements for skilled and semi-skilled workforce.
“Under JPK, there are nine divisions and units involved in TVET development such as the Accreditation Division as well as the Occupational Standards and TVET Curriculum Division,” he said.
Besides that, under KSM, the National Skills Development Council (MPKK) was established under Act 652 with functions of advising the minister on matters pertaining to the Act. JPK also functions as the Secretariat for MPKK.
“All members under the auspices of the MPKK are key TVET industry players, among others representatives from the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department, Public Service Department, Ministry of Education as well as several associations representing the private sector such as the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC),” he added.
He believes that if TVET management is placed under one ministry, the TVET ecosystem will be organised, and as such, avoiding duplication of courses and resource wastage.
Keeping abreast of technology
National Association of Skilled Workers secretary-general Mohammad Rizan Hassan said government-industry cooperation should be further enhanced from time to time and not merely as ‘cosmetic’ or based on policies.
The issue of marketability and job mismatch which continues to take a toll on TVET graduates is also attributed to several other factors, such as the use of obsolete equipment and technology which does not meet the needs of the industry, especially at public TVET institutes.
Citing the automotive industry as an example, he said some training centres are still using equipment or machines based on carburetted engine, hence lagging behind in technology. Fuel injection systems have long replaced carburettors on motorcycles, with the latest trends that include hybrid motorcycles and electric vehicles (EV).
“Some instructors at TVET skills training centres have not been upskilled especially in handling high technology machinery through their tie-up with the industry which supplies the equipment,” he said.
As a result, the performance and employability of the TVET graduates will be affected as the instructors themselves are ill equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to transfer to the students, he added.
As such, Mohammad Rizan proposed that the government take immediate measures to change the existing approach to ensure the training programmes are market-driven especially at public TVET institutes, while instructors should be properly training to use the high technology machinery.
It is also hoped that the government can assist private TVET institutes which have been providing the learning platform and equipment through the provision of matching grants to lessen their burden. – BERNAMA
