PUTRAJAYA, July 8 — Studies have shown that over 60 per cent of employers are offering a basic salary of RM1,500 for those with Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET), compared to the monthly minimum wage of RM1,050 set for such workers.
Deputy Minister of Human Resources Datuk Mahfuz Omar said that the minimum wage was just a guide and the standards set by the government in ensuring that those seeking employment with TVET qualifications for the first time are not paid lower than the minimum rate.
“If those hired are TVET students, they have already been trained in line with industry requirements and are offered higher salaries accordingly,” he said, adding that 94 per cent of those with TVET qualifications had managed to secure jobs in various fields.
He hoped the remaining 40 per cent of employers are able to hire TVET holders with salaries that commensurate with their qualifications and skills, he said after opening the TVET conference here today.
The deputy minister in his speech earlier suggested the establishment of a TVET integrated city to further strengthen the educational system in line with the challenges and needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0).
Through this platform, key stakeholders will engage and collaborate in the delivery of TVET programmes and activities, especially in terms of resource sharing and coordination, added Mahfuz.
He said that the integrated city will bring together technical and vocational training institutions and centres, as well as new industries related to the “future of work”, and would also act as a one-stop centre to govern and administrate TVET matters in the country.
Mahfuz added the integrated city will serve as a leading TVET centre, similar to the roles played by the Silicon Valley in the United States and Shenzen in China, in which the focus is on technology and innovation. — Bernama
