KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — The public need to change the perception that universities are the only avenue for developing talent and determining the success of young people, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
He said knowledge and skills in technical fields also opened up career opportunities for young people, including those who were less academically inclined.
"Over the past two years, we have often told the people that universities are not the only place for them to pursue their studies, but we also have other skills institutions such as polytechnics and community colleges that offer skills certificates in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
"For years, society has viewed polytechnics as a second choice for those who cannot get into university, but now applications to enter polytechnics have reached 132 per cent compared with 60 to 70 per cent previously,” he said.
He said this during the "Technology Driving Change: Is Malaysian Talent Ready?” dialogue session held in conjunction with the launch of the Future Skills Framework for the Communications Sector and the Strategic Talent Development Initiative at Angkasapuri today.
Zambry said teaching approaches at skills institutions were also being strengthened to meet the country’s demand for technical workers, including the government’s effort to produce 60,000 engineers.
He said technical and engineering fields did not necessarily depend solely on degree qualifications, but also required skilled workers who had undergone engineering-related training at skills institutions.
Students from the arts stream with an interest and potential in the field were also being given opportunities to pursue it through suitable intervention programmes, he said, adding that polytechnics had so far trained 447 students through engineering diploma programmes.
Meanwhile, Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan said the skills mismatch issue needed attention, with nearly 37 per cent of skilled workers recorded as not working in the second quarter of this year, while the country’s workforce stood at 16.8 million.
He said the situation was attributed, among other factors, to a lack of job opportunities, skills mismatches and less attractive salary offers in certain fields, making it necessary to strengthen the "future-proof talent” approach to ensure workers’ skills were aligned earlier with future job requirements.
In efforts to strengthen workforce development, he said the Ministry of Human Resources had introduced the National Human Resources Policy 2026-2035, focusing on four aspects - more productive employment, career development, more meaningful incomes and appropriate protection.
However, Khairul Firdaus said the effectiveness of the policy needed to be supported by more balanced infrastructure development between states to ensure job opportunities and talent development were not concentrated only in the Klang Valley. — Bernama
