Are blue-collar jobs only for losers?

With the changing economic reality bringing about ample job opportunities for technical educational and vocational training graduates, we should see TEVT as a totally viable career option.

COMMENT

By Tengku Nurul Azian Tengku Shariman

We Malaysians have a very interesting worldview – white-collar jobs are better than blue-collar jobs. There are no two ways about this. We see professional qualifications as the only viable career path.

From young, most of us are encouraged by our families, our elders, our teachers to aspire and think BIG – to be doctors, accountants, lawyers or engineers – or in short, pursue a career which is more financially rewarding and highly regarded by society.

My friends shared that their career choice was dictated by their parents’ mantra, “Can find job? Can make money or not?”

So, while we may love cars or Formula 1, or are fascinated by the intricacies of form and design in welding, or sleep with our tool apron – any thoughts of pursuing a career as a mechanic, welder or plumber, are deemed totally unsuitable, if not ridiculous.

“Please lah. Be serious. You can’t make money!” That seems to be the common perception. The other impression is that only those who are academically poor pursue these options as their only means to make a living.

Then we go overseas. We wait three weeks and pay 10X more for our car to be repaired. The plumber works from 9am to 5pm, weekdays only. He charges double the price for working during weekends.

We make comparisons with how much we would pay back in Malaysia, and think, “So expensive. Cheaper at home. These guys really have it good here [developed nation].”

Think again. The reality is that Malaysia is also heading towards becoming a high-income, developed nation by 2020. That’s just eight years away. In such countries, one of the most valued skills and highly paid jobs are reserved for those with technical and vocational expertise.

Critical need for vocational jobs

In a visit to a private skills training centre that specialises in training welders, I met an ambitious young man from Sarawak. He had a SKM 2 (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia, tahap 2) and was upgrading to obtain his SKM 3 certification in welding.

He said, “I have worked for a few years as a welder in the oil and gas industry but I want to be a supervisor. Once I have my SKM 3, my salary will jump from RM3,500 to RM5,000 and then, to RM7,000 per month”.

In fact, within the next eight years, 60% of the talent we require are those with technical educational and vocational training or TEVT. This means one million jobs would require vocational certificates or diplomas by 2020.

For example, there is a critical need for TEVT graduates in the oil, gas and energy sector.

Petronas plans to develop one of the largest refinery and petrochemical integrated projects in Asia, spanning 15 years to the value of US$20 billion. A project of such a scale would require qualified professionals as well as many skilled and semi-skilled workers – technicians, deep-sea divers, tool pushers, fitters, electricians, and welders.

As such, TEVT is a key priority for us. So much so that the government has allocated RM200 million per annum as loans to students undertaking TEVT programmes in private skills training centres and institutes, an initiative under the Economic Transformation Programme.

Our aim is to ramp up growth in private skills training institutes very much the same way private higher education institutions have grown in the past 20 years.

Last year, some RM232 million was allocated to the Skills Development Fund for programmes in private skills training institutions. Close to 33,722 students received skills training, exceeding the target of 22,100 students set for 2011.

This excludes the large number of students enrolled in public TEVT institutions such as community colleges, Giat Mara, polytechnics, skills training centres and others.

Obviously, we look beyond the numbers. Our focus is on producing quality TEVT professionals who can meet the wide range of skill sets demanded by various industries. The criterion of quality is so essential to us that we have introduced a star quality rating system for private skills training institutes and centres.

Last year, the Department of Skills Development conducted an audit and rating of accredited skills training programmes offered by 258 accredited centres under the Department of Skills Development (Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran, JPK). Accredited centres were rated from Tier 5 (excellent) to Tier 1 (weak).

Factors such as employability of students, industry linkages and quality of training offered are considered in the rating exercise. The disbursement of funds to Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan Kemahiran (PTPK) for private training institutions is based on the results of the star rating exercise.

This means centres ranked in Tier 1 to 2 have the most incentive to improve while those rated higher need to work equally hard to maintain and/or enhance the quality of their training programmes.

Opportunities aplenty

Our focus this year is to increase private sector participation in the skills training market, by increasing collaboration between PTPK, JPK and private training institutions to ensure that government funding is maximised and that skill-sets demanded by industries are met.

With the changing economic reality bringing about ample job opportunities and good salaries for TEVT graduates, we should see TEVT as a totally viable career option.

At an international conference organised by the National Association of Private Educational Institutions, I cited the example of celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, who left school at 16 with only a City and Guilds vocational qualification.

According to the Sunday Times Rich list, Jamie is now worth a staggering £150 million (RM738 million).

Closer to home, we have renowned chefs such as Chef Wan. In addition, I know of highly successful entrepreneurs in Penang who started off with just a TEVT diploma and are now, owners of their business.

In short, the opportunities are limitless; the rest depends on you.

Tengku Nurul Azian Tengku Shariman is the NKEA/NKRA education director of Pemandu (Performance Management and Delivery Unit), Prime Minister’s Department.