Only 7% take up TVET after Form Three

KUALA LUMPUR: Only seven per cent of students across the country take up Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) after their Form Three.

Deputy Education Minister, Datuk P. Kamalanathan said various efforts had been implemented to increase the entry of students into TVET institutions and vocational colleges, besides giving them exposure on career prospects after graduating from the vocational colleges.

“The Education Ministry has been transforming the TVET since 2012 to uplift the status of this stream as a premier stream to help realise the government’s aspiration of meeting the country’s need for skilled workers by 2020,” he said in reply to a question from Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Lembah Pantai) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

To a supplementary question from Dr Mansor Abd Rahman (BN-Sik) on the ministry’s strategies to increase rural students’ enrolment into the vocational colleges, Kamalanathan said the measures included making publicity broadcasts via the radio channels, newspaper advertisements and collaboration with nongovernmental organisations.

He said online applications for entry into the TVET institutions for the 2018 session had been opened and many applications had been received thus far.

Besides the Education Ministry, six other ministries involved in implementing the TVET are the Human Resources; Higher Education; Works; Youth and Sports; Rural and Regional Development; and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry ministries. - Bernama