Guidebook launch: Mohamed Khaled speaking during the National Academia Day 2023 celebration at the ministry in Putrajaya. — Bernama
WORKING adults can now earn a degree without having to attend classes.
The Apprenticeship Degree, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, is aimed at encouraging people to continue their educational journey or return to studying.
“So long as they have the necessary experience and knowledge, they can get a degree without having to attend classes,” he told reporters after launching the Apprenticeship Degree Guidebook in Putrajaya on Oct 4.
Companies that meet the criteria can register with the ministry’s Higher Education Department or polytechnics to enable their employees to participate in the programme, which would evaluate them through their work, he said.
“The Apprenticeship Degree is an initiative by the ministry to promote innovative learning methods to meet the needs of industry through collaboration between the two parties.
“It is different from the ministry’s Accredited Prior Experiential Learning (Apel) programmes, which allow those working to use their experience to shorten the course of study,” he said.
The formation of a quality and available workforce of the future is a shared responsibility between academia and industry, the ministry said in a statement on the same day.
The guidebook documents the transition from classroom-based learning to work-based learning. Through the initiative, immersive learning experiences in industry will enhance students’ competencies to achieve their job objectives, the statement read.
The launch of the guidebook was held during the National Academia Day and Academia Month 2023 celebrations.
Separately, Mohamed Khaled said among the missions of academia is to find a new formula to make education and the pursuit of knowledge interesting and exciting.
To ensure that the tradition of knowledge and scholarship is able to attract the interest of young people, academics must move away from being stuck in the old ways, he said, adding that education cannot be confined to the lecture rooms alone.“We must find new innovations in the process of imparting knowledge, stimulating research and sparking inspiration,” he said, adding that the ministry and academics are responsible for summarising information, experience and expertise of the higher education sector to benefit the community and the country.
As such, he said the ministry will be carrying out the Translational Research Programme 2023.
“The results of this research can be implemented and transferred to various fields, such as food security, advanced technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and Malaysia Madani,” he said, adding that RM10mil has been allocated for the programme.
“We must strive to cultivate all available knowledge so that it can be adapted to the needs of society and moved into the community in a way that will offer solutions or added value to their well-being,” he said.
On the cost of tertiary studies, Mohamed Khaled said there would be no change in (tuition) fees at public institutions of higher learning (IPTA).
