KUALA LUMPUR, A holistic approach is needed to reform the development of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Malaysia, said Yayasan Mahir Malaysia president Datuk P. Sri Ganes. He said the country needed integration and synergy, focusing on talent development based on innovators instead of end users during the Fourth Industrial Revolution. According to him, commercial companies that are not education-based are more inclined to develop their products and build brands by training talents that suit their organisations' needs, adding that talent development should be sustainable and not consumer-centric. "These large companies get the government's attention, which believes that they could generate or develop talents for the country when talents should be trained through TVET cooperation with small and medium enterprises to fulfil the sustainable skills demographic. "…in the TVET development context, it is broader that what is depicted. The sustainability of (TVET) talents requires compre hensive strategies…as it involves the understanding of technology issues, analysing problems, finding solutions as well as creating effective impacts that align with current TVET needs," he said. He said this after the handover ceremony of electric vehicles by Autotronics Center of Excellence Sdn Bhd to ADTEC Melaka and the presentation of the Malaysia Book of Records award to the former that recognises it as the first practical assessment centre for battery electric vehicles in the country, which was held in Melaka, recently. Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong officiated the ceremony, which was also attended by Manpower Department director-general Shakib Ahmad Shakir and ADTEC Melaka director Norhuda Salim. Sri Ganes also said the government, through the Manpower Department, should act as an intermediary between the industry and large companies to meet current needs. "…certified centres or TVET colleges conduct programmes based on the National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS) developed by the Department of Skills Development, the agency responsible for setting job standards in Malaysia under the Human Resources Ministry. "Therefore, it is crucial for us to ensure that local workforce has adequate and high-quality skills to attract foreign investors and lead sectors that will have high impact in the future," he added. Source: BERNAMA News Agency
