A total of 270 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions under Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) have recorded a graduate employability rate of 99.5 percent, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the impressive achievement demonstrated that Mara’s TVET institutions are at the forefront of advancing the nation’s TVET agenda, which has now entered the TVET 2.0 phase.
“I also greatly appreciate the private sector for being at the forefront of supporting TVET nationwide. They have not only introduced new training modules, but have also extended their support through the provision of equipment, machinery, and other facilities for selected TVET institutions.
“They have embraced TVET 2.0 not only through the various contributions I mentioned earlier, but also by signing agreements with the National TVET Council and most TVET institutions across the country to ensure that all TVET students will be employed by the industry, with 100 percent absorption into the workforce,” he said.
Zahid, who is also chairperson of the National TVET Council, said this in his welcoming remarks at the National TVET Day 2026 celebration today.
The event was held at Dataran Putrajaya, where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim officiated the launch of TVET 2.0.
Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said the implementation of TVET 2.0 would place greater emphasis on emerging high-demand fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and renewable energy, while continuing to strengthen conventional sectors that remain in demand.
“In TVET 2.0, in addition to the priorities I have outlined, we have also sent instructors from selected TVET institutions abroad for training at no cost to the government. The programmes are fully funded by industry players overseas, enabling our instructors to acquire the latest knowledge and skills,” he said.
He added that industry players are also offering premium salaries to TVET graduates, with holders of the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) receiving a minimum starting salary of RM2,500, above the current minimum wage.
The employability rate of TVET graduates nationwide rose to 98.7 percent as of the end of May this year, compared with 95.1 percent previously.
“This is an achievement we are grateful for. As I have often said, achieving success is difficult, but sustaining it is even more challenging. Our task and responsibility are not only to preserve this success, but to continue building on it and raising the bar even further,” he said.
Elevating tahfiz students’ capacities
Meanwhile, Zahid said students from tahfiz institutions and pondok schools are now being given opportunities to pursue TVET programmes, including in aerospace engineering and maritime engineering, through courses offered by Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
“This will elevate the capabilities of tahfiz students, who have traditionally focused on the fields of syariah and usuluddin. Insya-Allah, within the next three to five years, while continuing to preserve their Quranic memorisation, we will also see them emerge as engineers, including in the aerospace sector,” he said.
He said the initiative is expected to produce more highly skilled professionals from among tahfiz students without compromising their grounding in religious studies.
Zahid also said that seven universities within the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) provide pathways for TVET students to further their education up to master’s and doctoral levels.
He added that the government has allocated RM7.9 billion to the TVET sector under Budget 2026, the largest allocation ever provided to strengthen the implementation of TVET 2.0, including upskilling and reskilling programmes.
On the National TVET Day 2026 celebration, he said this year’s event was organised on a relatively large scale despite being conducted at a very low cost, reflecting efficient resource management and the government’s commitment to ensuring that high-impact programmes can continue without placing an undue burden on national expenditure.
Held under the theme “TVET Pilihan Utama Kerjaya” (TVET: The Preferred Career Path), the three-day celebration, which runs until Sunday, from 9am to 10pm daily, brings together more than 107 agencies, institutions, and industry players from nine key sectors on a single platform.
These sectors include aerospace, electronics and digital technology, agriculture, transport and automotive, advanced manufacturing, services, rail, maritime and energy.
- Bernama
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