KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — Empowering Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) by developing a more relevant new policy in implementing TVET’s agenda in line with industry needs was part of the Ministry of Human Resources’s plan throughout 2019.

This was outlined in the Ministry of Human Resource’s 2019 achievement report to strengthen the various sectors under the ministry led by M. Kulasegaran, while also committed to championing the rights of workers in the country.

Touching on issues related to workers including skills upgrading, TVET education, security, law and others in the 32-page report card, the Ministry of Human Resources is committed towards improving every aspect in line with fulfilling the promises contained in the Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto.

With a RM5.9 billion allocation via the 2020 Budget to place TVET in the main stream in the country, the ministry has begun to take step by establishing the TVET Single Quality Assurance System to be used by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and the Department of Skills Development (JPK) for the purpose of coordinating, monitoring and strengthening the TVET sector.

According to Kulasegaran, the new system is responsible for accrediting TVET programmes offered by public and private TVET institutions based on the Second Edition Of The Malaysia Qualification Framework (MQF 2.0) which was approved at the MQA Council Meeting in December 2017.

"The implementation of TVET quality assurance programme by MQA and JPK will be made based on the TVET Programme Accreditation Code of Practice approved by the Cabinet Meeting on Jan 31, 2019,” he said.

In line with the latest trend of Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 education or 4.0 era education, Kulasegaran said 35 National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) related to IR 4.0 were developed in 2018.

"To date, there are 42 NOSS related to IR 4.0 as a result of TVET’s National Master Plan Development Study towards a developed nation and the direction until 2030 will be used by policy makers in the process of reforming TVET implementation in Malaysia,” he said.

The efforts to empower the TVET field did not stop there when the ministry took the initiative to expand its field of study by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Private Secondary School (SUWA) on May 23, 2019 at Kolej Universiti New Era in Kajang.

"The collaboration between the two entities led to the ministry’s involvement in allowing SUWA students to attend training programmes at 32 Department of Human Resource Training Institutes (ILJTM) and enabling the ministry to consider loan applications or scholarships to eligible students for further study in TVET programmes, Vocational Training Officers (VTO) and so on,” he said. — Bernama