KOTA BHARU: Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and the Manpower Department (JTM) signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) today to offer a bachelor’s degree to technical and vocational education training (TVET) grads.
The institution joins four others in the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) — Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) — in this regard.
Deputy Human Resources Minister, Datuk Mahfuz Omar, who witnessed the signing between JTM director-general, Datuk Muhd Khair Razman Mohamed Annuar, and UMK vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Noor Azizi Ismail, at the UMK Bachok campus, said that continuing one’s education would not just improve the image of a TVET grad, but also boost their career prospects and salary.
“If before this – parents weren’t quite confident of TVET, this kind of partnership to pursue a degree can change that,” he said of those who have obtained a diploma from a Manpower Department Training Institute (ILJTM).
He said the MoU includes theoretical, technical and practical sharing arrangements in vocational and technical training fields.
“One of the focus fields is Internet marketing in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said, adding that TVET also develops skills for the agriculture sector, for example, which is advancing via the use of new technology.
“This is why the ministry would like to get others like the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) involved to attract investments that will make use of our TVET competencies,” he said. – Bernama
