Maszlee: Chinese firms want to sponsor TVET students

PETALING JAYA: There will be more TVET scholarship and training opportunities for Malaysian students in education institutions and companies in China, says Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik.

Chinese companies which met him and Education Ministry representatives expressed interest in preparing Malaysians who graduated from technical and vocational education and training to face the challenging international industry.

Dr Maszlee recently visited China where he delivered a speech during the opening of the China-Malaysia TVET forum.

“Some offered scholarships to Malaysian students for training in China,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Discussions were also held with Sany Polytechnic College, owned by the conglomerate Sany Group Company Ltd, to train Malaysian students and place them in Sany Group branches worldwide.

“It is understood that Sany Group plans to work with the Kedah state government to develop a heavy machinery industrial plant,” said Dr Maszlee, adding this would provide practical training opportunities to 20 students.

He said ZTE Education Management Ltd agreed to offer 300 scholarships for Malaysians to study in TVET institutions in China.

ZTE Education also aims to help increase the current number of 1,300 students from China pursuing their higher education at the Malaysian Technical University.

The Education Minister is also considering a suggestion from ZTE Education to open a China-Malaysia Institute in Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah and Universiti Teknikal Malaysia.

“Founder of GreenPacket Bhd, Puan Chan Cheong, wants to support the establishment of an artificial intelligence technology centre and big data analytics in Malaysian polytechnics,” he said.

Dr Maszlee is confident that this development will mark a new chapter in Malaysian TVET education.