Technical and vocational education and

training (TVET) in Malaysia

by StudyMalaysia on October 12, 2016 | Top Stories

What is TVET?
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) includes formal, non-
formal and informal learning that prepare young people with the knowledge and
skills required in the world of work. According to the United Nations Organisation for
Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), TVET has been called many names
over the years – apprenticeship training, vocational education, technical education,
technical-vocational education, occupational education, vocational education and
training, professional and vocational education, career and technical education,
workforce education, workplace education, and others.
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No matter its name, the common feature of TVET as defined by UNESCO is that it involves “in
addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences as well as the
acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding, and knowledge relating to occupations in
various sectors of economics and social life”. In TVET, young people have the opportunity to
learn from basic to advanced levels across a wide range of institutional and work settings.

Did you know?

 TVET programmes in Malaysia are offered at certificate, diploma, and degree levels
by seven ministries that include MOHE.
 According to MOHE’s Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education), there will
be an increase in demand for an additional 1.3 million TVET workers by 2020 in the 12
National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) identified under the government’s Economic
Transformation Programme (ETP).
 To meet this demand, the government has increased the development expenditure
given to public TVET institutions from RM 1.8 billion in 2010 to RM 2.1 billion in 2014.
 There are over 1,000 TVET institutions in Malaysia of which 506 are public
institutions.
 Public institutions like polytechnics, community colleges, vocational colleges and
other higher learning institutions can accommodate about 230,000 students.
 In 2013, out of the 429,000 students who sat for the SPM examination, 321,000
students enrolled in higher education and training programmes, with more than 50%
enrolling at TVET institutions.

Studying TVET programmes in Malaysia

TVET programmes in Malaysia are offered at certificate, diploma, and degree levels
by seven ministries that include the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), which
offers the most TVET programmes to the highest number of students.

Presently, qualifications for academic (higher education) and vocational education

sectors offered by MOHE’s universities, polytechnics, and community colleges are
accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), whereas skills training
programmes offered by skills training institutions are accredited by the Department
for Skill Development (DSD) of the Ministry of Human Resources.