Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
PUTRAJAYA: Students can soon sign up for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) courses after Form Three, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said they need not wait until they complete their Form Five, adding that the move was being made to provide highly skilled training from a young age.
The plan is to offer TVET courses to students after Form Three starting with the March intake this year.
Ahmad Zahid said the National TVET Council meeting decided to lower the age for TVET courses after observing that not all students who sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination were able to pursue their education.
“Those who did not pursue their studies would enter fields without having the right skills and knowledge, resulting in being paid lower salaries.
“By providing this opportunity, we can allow students who are not academically inclined to hone their skills in other subjects and areas.
“So this is the answer. They can get the right training and a good salary,” he said after chairing the meeting here yesterday.Ahmad Zahid said the meeting had also decided to set up a single ratings agency that would work towards uniform programme quality for TVET.
He said there were many TVET providers offering various related courses and this agency would be responsible for evaluating programmes offered by these institutions.
Ahmad Zahid said the meeting also decided to introduce TVET courses for agriculture and plantation, adding that the aim was to provide the right skills for locals to become professional harvesters of oil palm.
This, he said, would relieve the industry’s dependency on foreign workers and provide a good paying job for locals.
“As of now, plantations are facing employment issues. This effort will ensure oil palm fruits in our 450,000ha of plantations are harvested as much as possible,” he said.
