Provide free meals, transport passes to students from poor families

Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran for calling small- and medium-sized enterprises to hire those with technical and vocational education and training (TVET) qualifications.

Globalisation has made TVET relevant as employers’ appetite for skilled workforce increases.

But as someone who has been in the TVET business for the past 23 years, I think the government should not look at promoting TVET in isolation, for example, building more training institutes or increasing enrolment.

A whole ecosystem goes into lifting TVET education in Malaysia to the next level.

First, most of those who enrol in technical and vocational courses are not academically inclined, including a sizeable chunk from the low-income group.

While many enrol in publicly funded institutions, where the fees are low, if not free, a large number fall through the cracks.

They could not afford to enrol in privately run TVET programmes, which is a waste.

Many private TVET providers offer quality programmes, some of which are mapped to international accreditation such as City and Guilds in London.

And it does not cost a bomb to enrol students there, given the immense economic returns upon completion of these programmes.

But sadly, even if these students were offered discounted tuition fees, I know for a fact that many attend classes on an empty stomach as they cannot afford breakfast.

Transportation costs are also a problem. Many drop out and end up working in fast-food chains or as despatch riders.

Tackling the problem is not difficult. The government or lawmakers can assist their constituents with transportation costs, such as sponsoring the Rapid My100 or My50 passes.

Collaborating with government-linked companies to provide meal allowances can go a long way in ensuring that these students do not quit midway.

Any cost in making TVET more accessible to the poor is negligible when weighed against the economic returns.