SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL

Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional

TT-TVET IN MALAYSIA : TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE HUMAN CAPITAL

DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA.

Oleh:
Jailani Bin Md. Yunos, Mohd Noor Bin Hashim, Tan King Hiyang *

ABSTRACT

Teacher Training is an important backbone of both formal and informal TVET in the
country. Any effort to have a sustainable human capital development to achieve the
agenda of the Vision 2020 must began with a close scrutiny of the TT-TVET. The
discussion began with comprehensive account of the historical context, the landscape and
recent developments in TVET at national level before focusing deeper into the provision at
institutional level. The discussion will touch deeply into the method and process of internal
capacity building adopted by the Faulty of Technical Education (FPTek) of the Universiti
Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).
The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the pattern of teacher education in
Malaysia, highlighting some of the current problems and challenges relating to this area of
educational development. The overview follow by a discussion on recent TT-TVET reform
in terms of selection and recruitment, length of training, content and methods of training.
The analysis on the approaches to teacher education show that there is a shift from
technical-rational approach to a reflective practitioner approach

Keywords: TT-TVET, teaching training, capacity building

* Dosen: Faculty of Technical Education Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia

A. INTRODUCTION Education and Training in the technical

Human capital refers to the stock of
productive skills and technical knowledge
embodied in labour. Sustainable
Development means the development
that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs (UN).
As such, sustainability human capital for
TVET should be capable of furthering the
sustainability objective (social, economic,
ecological) simultaneously over the long
term.
Malaysia is in the midst of vibrant
societal and economic transformation.
Evaluation of the current situation
represents a “snapshot” of the ever
complex scenario. Due to this fact,
evaluation of the development should
have a comparative analysis on the past,
present and future of the country.
Human capital development appears
to be a key factor in accelerating the
process of development. The importance
of education and TVET (Vocational
field) in fulfilling that mission have been
acknowledged by the Malaysian
government. This acknowledgement has
been supported strongly by both physical
implementation and financial commitment
by the government.
During the last 30 years, the
development of general education has
been a great success and it is expected
that 90 per cent of the relevant age cohort
will be enrolled in upper secondary
education within the next 5 to 10 years.
Further then this, the number will be
doubled during the next 10 years.
In recent years, skill training has been
stressed and the skill sector has also been
expanded tremendously. However, the
emergence of the skill training within the
education system revealed the urgency of
training and supplying sufficient number of
qualified trainers/instructors.
This paper is an attempt to provide a
close look into the provision and recent
development in the Teacher Training
sector in Malaysia with special emphasis

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SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
on TVET . Hence this paper shall be
divided into three parts, namely;
(A) An overview of the national
perspective on Teacher Training
including brief historical account,
pattern and recent development.
(B) An analysis into the intervention and
direction of change in the teacher
training system in the TVET area.
(C) An analysis of on the role of UTHM in
enhancing the quality of teacher
training in TVET.
B. EARLY DEVELOPMENTS OF TT-
TVET IN MALAYSIA
The National Education System has
gone through many reviews from time to
time to ensure that it will be in line with the
progress and needs of our country - to
restructure the society, achieve racial
unity and the aim of the Vision 2020,
where Malaysia will not only be developed
in terms of economy, science and
technology by the year 2020, but also in
terms of moral and ethical values. The
following events describe in chronology
order may give us a clear picture on the
origin and the antecedent factor that
brought about the national education
system as it is today.
2.01 General Education System
· Prior to British colonization,
education was informal and limited to
acquiring skills vital for survival, like
fishing and farming for boys, and
cookery and weaving for girls. If a
student wanted to go any further, he
would devote his time as an
apprentice, live with a “guru” and learn
various skills from the latter.
· During the British occupation of
Malaya, there was no clear policy on
education. In following through with
their divide and rule policy, the British
did not intend to establish rapport
between the different races in Malaya
through a standardized education
system. Ethnic cluster-based
vernacular schools were set up and
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self managed by respective ethnic
group or supported by missionaries,
rubber and coffee plantation owners,
and local residents' association.
Elements of TVET were implemented
to maintain status quo with the Malays
to cultivate the fields, the Chinese
were to run the mining industry and
businesses, while the Indians would
be confined to plantations and estates.
Each vernacular school used different
mediums of instruction and provided a
different syllabus. Children were also
expected to help in carrying out duties
at home or in the fields and this very
much contributed to the low
attendance rate in schools.
· In 1816 the first missionary English
school was established in Penang in
1816 and known as Penang Free
School. Other English missionary
schools soon followed during this era,
and they were the Malacca High
School (1826), Singapore Free School
(1834) and Victoria Institution (1893).
In the early 20th century, however,
these missionary schools began
experiencing financial difficulties and
were eventually taken over by the
British government
· In 1922 the Sultan Idris Training
College was founded. However, unlike
most other teachers' training colleges
now and then, this college aimed at
equipping teachers with elementary
gardening and agriculture skills.
These teachers were then expected to
place into remote villages and educate
the farmers on the latest, scientific
methods in agriculture and farming.
· In 1923 the British passed the
Labour Ordinance which stipulated
that plantation owners in the
Federated Malay States were required
to provide education for the children of
labourers at their own expenses. Tamil
schools that existed were of poor
quality. Most of the teachers were
either not trained or equipped with
very little training and comprised
mainly Indian labour recruiters,
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
popularly known as kangani, clerks
and other estate labourers.
· In 1924, while Malay vernacular
schools only provided education in
the primary level, teachers' training
courses were provided by the Malay
College in Singapore, Malacca,
Matang, Perak, Sultan Idris Training
College in Tanjung Malim, Perak, and
later in 1935, the Malay Women's
Training College in Malacca. The
British deliberately left out secondary
schools for fear that the Malay
community would not maintain their
status quo and remain as farmers,
fishermen and bullock-cart drivers.
· Between 1941 – 1945 during the
Japanese occupation of Malaya in
the Second World War, education was
used as a tool for propaganda to
inculcate love and loyalty for the
Japanese emperor. The English and
Mandarin languages were banned in
schools. Many pondok schools and
Chinese vernacular schools in Johor
were closed down.
· In 1949, a Central Advisory
Committee on Education was set up
to aid the government in deciding on
the best form of education system,
which could be implemented in
Malaya, to be the catalyst in fostering
national unity.
· In 1950, the Barnes Committee
came out with the Barnes Report,
which proposed that all primary
vernacular schools maintain one single
standard and become national schools
using the same syllabus but bilingual
languages (Malay and English).
Secondary schools, however, had to
maintain English as their mode of
instruction.
· In 1952 the setting up of the
Federation of Malaya Teachers
College at Kirby, Brinsford Lodge,
Wolverhampton in England.
· In 1955, the Razak Committee was
formed and laid the foundation for the
National Education System..
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· In 1957, Day Training Colleges also
began to take form in the country.
· In 1960, the Rahman Talib Review
Committee studies the Razak Report,
with the aim of strengthening its
implementation and emphasizing the
use of Malay as the medium of
instruction. The Rahman Talib Report
became the basis for the Education
Act 1961, which was subsequently
passed by the Parliament.
· In 1970, Education and Vision 2020.
The ultimate aim of Vision 2020 is to
gain the status of "a fully developed
country" for Malaysia by the year
2020.
· In 1984 the introduction of the
Integrated Secondary School
Curriculum.
· In 1989, the National Philosophy of
Education was released as follows:
· "Education in Malaysia is an on-going
effort towards further developing the
potential of individuals in a holistic and
integrated manner, so as to produce
individuals who are intellectually,
spiritually, emotionally and physically
balanced and harmonious, based on a
firm belief in and devotion to God.
Such an effort is designed to produce
Malaysian citizens who are
knowledgeable and competent, who
possess high moral standards, and
who are responsible and capable of
achieving high level of personal well-
being as well as being able to
contribute to the harmony and
betterment of the family, the society
and the nation at large."
· In 1999, emergence of Smart
Schools was an example of one of the
ways to realize the vision of the
National Education Philosophy.
2.02 Elements of TVET
As being reported by Phang (2008),
the British colonial government of Malaya
was first seen to get involved in VET when
it appointed a Commission in 1902 to look
into vocational education (Ahmad, 2003).
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
In 1906, a school known as the Treacher
Technical School was established by the
Public Works Department of the
Federated Malay States to train technical
assistants for the Railways and Public
Works Department (Maznah, 2001). The
school was closed at the start of the First
World War but reopened in 1918. Using
English as the medium of instruction, it
conducted apprenticeship courses to
serve the needs of several public
departments including the Public Works
Department, the Federated Malay States
Railways and the Survey Department
(Ahmad, 2003; Philip Loh, 1975). Upon
completion of training, successful
apprentices were employed as clerks of
works, surveyors or draftsmen. In 1919,
the government set up a committee to
review the needs for technical and
industrial education and it put forward
various recommendations concerning
training in the country, including the call
for an expansion of technical training in
terms of language used and industry
sectors covered. The measures are
summarized and paraphrased from Philip
Loh (1975: 111):-
i. Establishing trade schools using Malay
as the medium of instruction;
ii. Building a new technical school using
English as the language of instruction;
iii. Establishing an agricultural school;
iv. Providing training facilities for the
Forest Department; and
v. Providing better salaries for technically
trained employees in government
departments to bring them in line with
the clerical service.
The first important landmark in TT-
TVET was the setting up of Sultan Idris
Teachers College (SITC) by the British
government on November 29, 1922, as
the brainchild of the Deputy Director of
Malay Schools, Sir Richard Winstedt.
SITC was officially opened on November
29, 1922 by the Chief Secretary to the
Federation of Malay States, Sir George
Maxwell, making it the highest institution
of learning exclusively for the Malays at
that time. In the early days, students of
SITC had to undergo a three-year training
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course, where they learnt traditional skills
and arithmetic. These students were
under the tutelage of its teaching staff
comprising of four Europeans, one Filipino
and ten Malays. After the 1957 Razak
Report, new subjects were introduced and
the training course was extended to five
years. In addition, the name of the college
was changed to Maktab Perguruan Sultan
Idris (MPSI). Traditionally, MPSI accepted
only male students. However, in 1976 it
began to open its door to the female
population admitting its first batch of 150
female students. 1n 1987, the Minister of
Education bestowed the institute status
upon the country’s oldest teacher training
college, and MPSI was thereafter referred
to as Institut Perguruan Sultan Idris (IPSI).
With its new status, IPSI started to
introduce new courses including a
twinning programme with Universiti
Pertanian Malaysia (currently known as
Universiti Putra Malaysia). By then, the
number of students, lecturers and support
staff had increased in tandem. It is the
aspiration of the Ministry to have only
graduate teachers spearheading both the
primary and secondary schools in
Malaysia. Thus, in order to realize such
noble dream, the Ministry of Education
granted the university status to IPSI on 1st
May 1997.
Preparation of teachers for the
secondary school system began with the
setting up of the Federation of Malaya
Teachers College at Kirby, Brinsford
Lodge, Wolverhampton in England in
1952. Three more teachers’ college was
set up at Pengkalan Chepa Kota Bharu,
Durian Daun Malacca and Bukit Coombe
Penang to train teachers for the primary
schools system in 1957. TVET oriented
subjects such as crafts, needling and
basic trade’s skills were embedded in the
curricular.
The next significant development in
TVET was the opening of a Federal Trade
School in Kuala Lumpur in 1926 to provide
full-time three-year courses to train
mechanics, fitters, machine workers and
other technicians (Ahmad, 2003; Philip
Loh, 1975). The school then had a small
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional

student capacity of fifteen to twenty per trade schools (ibid; Ahmad, 2003; Francis
year and primarily served the needs of Wong & Ee, 1975).
Public Works Department. The Education
Department took over the school in 1931 Thus, during the time of its
which by then was called Technical independence, Malaysia’s TVET may be
School, to serve the needs of other public summarized as follows (Francis Wong &
departments apart from the Public Works Ee, 1975: 159):-
Department, as well as business
enterprises such as mines, estates and a Technical Institutions of post-
private firms (Ahmad, 2003; Philip Loh, Colleges secondary education to
1975). Later, it also took in private provide full time
students leading towards Technological courses for those who
Certificates awarded by the City and had completed a full
Guilds Institute of London. Later, three (five years) secondary
other trade schools were built in Penang, education.
Ipoh and Singapore (part of Malaya at that
time) to prepare apprentices as artisans in b. Technical Institutions of post-
trades such as mechanics, plumbers, Institutes lower secondary
fitters, electricians and blacksmiths. These education to provide
developments clearly marked the courses of three-year
expansion of institutionalized vocational duration for those who
training in Malaya which was geared to had completed three
meet the needs of the country’s industry. It years of secondary
is unclear from the literature as to the education, and who
actual extent to which the expansion had seek employment as
taken place. It was noted, however, by technicians.
Maznah (2001) that the pioneer technical
school was renamed Technical College in c. Trade Schools to provide two-
1945, which was then upgraded in 1972 to Schools years courses for those
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, a full- who had completed a
fledged university. primary school
education especially in
In 1955, two years before Malaya rural areas; courses
gained her independence from the British should be related to
colonial government in 1957, the Malayan the environment of the
Alliance Government took over office. In school and the needs
the same year, it set up an Education of employment, and
Committee headed by Abdul Razak normally conducted in
Hussein, the first Malayan Education the Malay language
Minister, to review the existing education
system and to formulate an education Many other developments took place,
system for post-independence Malaya changing further the character and shape
(Pang, 2005). The study led to a report in of the country’s education system. In
1956 known as the Razak Report which 1960, another report widely known as the
recommended a unified education system Rahman Talib Report was published,
for all Malayans. Eddy Lee (1972) recommending more changes to the
suggested that this Report promoted the education system (Eddy Lee, 1972). The
policy of establishing a vocational stream Report proposed that the majority (up to
alongside the general secondary school 70 percent) of pupils be given the
system. This view was strongly reflected opportunity in ‘post-primary’ schools to
from the Report’s recommendation that acquire manual skills whilst preparing for
technical education and training be the Lower Certificate of Education
organized into three levels namely; examinations that is at the end of three
technical colleges, technical institutes and years of secondary education. Eddy Lee

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SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
(1972) observed that the proposal to
incorporate vocational subjects in lower
secondary schools did not take off
because of the shortage of vocationally-
qualified teachers. Instead, specialized
vocational education was made available
at the upper secondary level after 1965 on
a very small scale. The Rahman Talib
Report is particularly significant to the
country’s TVET system because it led to
the setting up of Technical Teachers
College in 1969, together with the
Specialist Teachers College and the
Temenggong Ibrahim Teachers College in
the same year to train teachers to teach
vocational elective subjects in the formal
secondary school system.
The Razak Report 1955
recommended junior technical (trade)
schools to be converted to secondary
trade schools which, in turn, were
converted in 1968 to secondary vocational
schools. Even up to the present day, the
vocational schools conduct trade courses
which are of two-year duration, mainly in
the engineering field. In 1979, another
high-powered Cabinet Committee headed
by the Deputy Prime Minister at that time,
Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, was formed to
study the implementation of the national
education policy including reviewing the
country’s technical education and
vocational training system (Pang, 2005).
The ensuing Cabinet Report of 1979
reaffirmed that the country’s upper
secondary education should comprise of
both the academic and vocational streams
(MOE, 2007).
In 1964, the Technical and Vocational
Division and later was called the
Department of Technical Education in
1995 was set up to promote the technical
and vocational education. While in 1969,
thorough the initiative of the Colombo
Plan, tertiary education in TVET began
with the setting up of the first polytechnic,
the Ungku Omar Polytechnics (PUO) at
Ipoh in 1969. Again through the
agreement of the cabinet in Pelan
Perlaksanaan Pendidikan (1979)and
National Industry Plan 1985-1995 as well
as the resolution of the cabinet regarding
2116
training(1991), the number of polytechnics
has agreed to be increased to fulfill the
demand for semi professional personnel in
engineering, commerce and hospitality
industries.
3.0 SHAPPING OF THE MALAYSIAN
TT-TVET SYSTEM
As in most centralized systems, the
pattern of TT-TVET in Malaysia is closely
related to the development of the national
education system, which is also been
strongly influenced by the socio-economic
and political nature of the country. The
recruitment of trainee teachers, the length
of training, and the content and methods
of training tend to vary with the changing
needs of the schooling system.
Historically, the TT-TVET has
undergone two phases of expansion that
is quantitative and qualitative expansion.
3.1 Phase One: The Quantitative
Expansion
During the early years of
independence, when school system
underwent fast expansion during the
1960s and 1970s, there was an urgent
need to recruit enough teachers to staff
the newly build classrooms. To ease the
acute shortage of teachers in primary
schools, many untrained teachers with
academic qualifications as low as LCE
(equivalent to Form Three or Lower
Secondary Qualification) were recruited
and given part-time training during
weekends and school holidays in training
colleges and regional training centers. To
staff the secondary schools, many
graduate teachers were imported from
United Kingdom and India. During those
years the number of TEIs was very
limited: up to 1976, there were only three
TEIs and ten centers of training primary
schools teachers and five other TEIs for
secondary school teachers (Wong &
Wong 1975).
3.2 Phase Two: Qualitative Expansion
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
After the initial quantitative phase to
cater for all school going age children,
more attention were given to the quality of
education which largely depends on
professionalism and commitment of
teachers. As from 1967, all trainee
teachers must have the minimum
academic qualification of MCE
(equivalent to Secondary O level or Form
Five). The MoE took step to restructure
the teacher training program by integrating
primary and secondary teacher colleges
into one common institution providing
common core curriculum with electives to
enable trainees to specialize into either
primary or secondary teaching (Wong,
1977). Hence the 1980s, witnessed an
increase number of TEIs. At the same
time more universities were established
with the inclusion of the faculty of
education, which takes on the
responsibilities of training teachers for
secondary schools.
The goals of TT-TVET have change
over the years according to the changing
needs of the education system.
Consequently, different types of programs
have been developed to cater for the
following priorities at different points of
time;
1. to ensure enough teachers of various
level needed by the schools are
recruited and trained.
2. to raise the quality of teachers.
3. to train enough teachers in specialized
subjects like English, Science and
Mathematics.
4. To provide sufficient trained teachers
for TVET system.
5. To provide in-service training for
updating, as well as professional
development of practicing teachers.
6. To provide professional training for all
kinds of practitioners in the education
system, including school counselors,
school principals, teacher educators,
curriculum developers, etc.
3.2 Characteristics of Teacher
education in Malaysia
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According to Education Act 1995,
Chapter 9 item 42-48, Teacher Education:
· No person shall establish or maintain a
teacher education college except with
the approval of the Minister.
· All teacher education colleges, the
establishment or maintenance of
which have been approved by the
Minister, should be registered under
this Act.
· A teacher education college
established under this Act may award
a certificate or such other
qualifications as may be prescribed.
· Minister may establish and maintain
teacher education colleges and
provide therein teacher education.
· Every teacher education college
established under this Chapter shall
conduct such courses of study and
training programmes as may be
approved by the Minister.
· Provision as to courses of study in
respect of degrees, etc. conferred by
universities, etc.
(i) A teacher education college
established under this Chapter may,
with the approval of the Minister,
conduct courses of study or training
programmes for degrees, diplomas,
certificates or other forms of
recognition of a qualification
conferred by any university or other
institution of higher education within
Malaysia or outside Malaysia.
(ii) The approval given under subsection
(i) may be made subject to such
terms and conditions as the Minister
may deem fit to impose.
(iii) The Minister shall not give his
approval under subsection (i) unless
he is satisfied that the teacher
education college has made suitable
arrangements with the university or
other institution of higher education
concerned with the conduct of the
courses of study or training
programmes.
(iv) A person who contravenes
subsection (i) or fails to comply with
any term or condition imposed by the
Minister under subsection (ii) shall
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
be guilty of an offence and shall, on
conviction, be liable to a fine not
exceeding thirty thousand ringgit or
to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding two years or to both.
· Instrument of government for
teacher education colleges.
(i) Except for teacher education
colleges established and maintained
by the Minister under section 45,
every teacher education college
established under this Act shall have
an instrument of government.
(ii) Every instrument of government
under this section shall be approved
by, and shall be deposited with, the
Registrar General at the time of
registration.
(iii) Every instrument of government
under this section shall provide for
the constitution of a board of
governors, with a chairman, for the
management of the teacher
education college by the governors
in a manner not inconsistent with this
Act and any regulations made under
this Act.
(iv) Every instrument of government
under this section shall be made,
amended or revoked in such manner
as may be prescribed.
· The Minister may make
regulations for the carrying into
effect of the provisions of this
Chapter and, without prejudice to the
generality of such power, the
regulations may provide for—
(a) the establishment of a board or body
to carry out evaluation or
assessment or to conduct
examinations for teacher education;
(b) the courses of study and training
programmes to be carried out by a
teacher education college;
(c) the award of certificates or diplomas;
(d) the discipline of pupils in teacher
education colleges;
(e) the establishment, organization,
management, control and dissolution
of a council, body or committee for
extra-curricular activities at college,
district, state and national levels;
(f) the recognition of qualifications
issued by a teacher education
2118
college; Instrument of government
for teacher education colleges.
Power to make regulations in
relation to teacher education
colleges
(g) procedures for the application and
registration of a teacher education
college;
(h) any other matter which the Minister
deems expedient or necessary for
the purposes of this Chapter.
3.3 The National Education
Blueprint 2006 – 2010
Education including TVET in Malaysia
is dynamic and very susceptible to
continuous improvement and
improvisation with the existing system.
One of the latest and has had significant
impact is the introduction of the National
Education Blueprint ‘Pelan Induk
Pembangunan Pendidikan (PIPP) ‘. The
purpose is to accelerate the phase of
efforts to cope with the demands and
challenges of globalization and the New
Economy. Guided by the National Mission
the Pelan Induk Pembangunan
Pendidikan (PIPP) or Blueprint sets the
policies, priorities, strategies and action
plans for improving the education system,
from preschool up to tertiary education, in
the five years of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
The goal of the education blueprint is
to develop human capital by ensuring
quality education for all. The approach
would be two-pronged, namely to
readdress the unfinished educational
project such as ensuring access to
education and the second approach is to
create clusters of world standard
excellence schools and institution.
The main strategic thrusts are as follows:
i. Expanding preschool education.
ii. Making National Schools the school of
choice.
iii. Bridging the rural-urban gap in
education.
iv. Creating clusters of excellence among
education institutions.
v. Improving the teaching profession.
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional

another ministry need to be set up for the

The government is trying to upgrade
the professional status of more than
325,000 (2005 statistic) teachers in the
country by improving the teaching
profession, teachers’ quality and welfare.
One of the early measure is to upgrade
Teacher Training Colleges into Teacher
Education Institutes (TEI) so that all the
27 TEIs are capable of running the degree
programs for both preparatory and in
service teachers. By doing so, the Ministry
is hoping to upgrade the social status of
the teaching profession and attract the
most qualified candidates.
3.5 The Reform of the TT-TVET in
the Formal Sector
It has been widely felt that the formal
education and training system has
expanded and become too large for a
single ministry to manage effectively. In
order to deliver quality products we need
an efficient monitoring and reliable
delivery system. There was a need to
have another single ministry to focus on
managing the schooling system and
Table 1: TT-TVET in TEIs Ministry of Education.
tertiary and university education. Hence,
immediately after the 2004 general
election, the Higher Education Sector and
the Polytechnics and Community Colleges
Management Division were move from the
juridical of the Ministry of Education(MoE)
to form the Ministry of Higher Education
(MoHE).
The juridical boundaries between
these two ministries were clarified by the
Cabinet Decision on September 27, 2006.
The Cabinet has decided that the Ministry
of Education to concentrate on providing
pre-services and in-services in TT-TVET
for the primary schools sectors. Therefore,
all Teachers Education Institutes that
cater TT-TVET such as the Technical
Teachers Education Institute (IPTek), Tun
Hussein Onn Teachers Education Institute
(IPTHO), Specialist Teachers Education
Institute (IPIK) and Temenggong Ibrahim
Teachers Education Institute (IPTI) will
prepare teachers to teach Foundation
Living Skills specific discipline areas, as
the following;
,

Focus Subject TT-TVET Provider Capacity Tenure Purpose

Foundation Living Skills IPTek 120 Four Years Primary

Schools
IPTI 120
(KBSR)
IPIK 120
IPTHO 120

Likewise, the Cabinet also decided that all TT-TVET provision of the local universities are
under the juridical of the Ministry of Higher Education and the universities could continue
their existing programs only for the secondary schools and matriculation levels. At present
TT-TVET programs are available at the following universities. In a wider scope, TT-TVET
is available in both the formal and informal sectors. With respect to the scenario in
Malaysia, the formal sector refers to the national education provision for the population
ranging from pre-schooling, primary, secondary, tertiary and up to the doctorate level of
the university education system.

Table2: TT-TVET in Public

Specialist Area TT-TVET Provider Capacity Tenure Purpose

Integrated Living UTM, UPM 120 Four Secondary

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Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional

Skills Years Schools

120 (KBSM)
Special Educ. TVET UKM, UPSI,

TVET Electives UTHM, UPSI, UTM, 120

UMS,

Also included are the provision of pre-service and in-service teachers training at both the
Teachers Education Institutes (TEI) and the universities. The responsibility of the formal
sector is being shared by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Higher
Education (MoHE).

Table 3: Major Providers of TT-TVET Training in Malaysia.

Sector Manager TT-TVET Providers Level Purpose

TEIs of the MoE Degree, Primary Schools.
Institut Aminuddin Post Graduate
Baki Diploma
In-Service
Certificate
Public Universities Degree, Secondary
Post Graduate Schools
Diploma
Teachers
In-Service
Education
Certificate
Formal Division MoE.
UTHM Post-Degree, Polytechnics
Malaysia
(Faculty of Technical Degree Community
Qualification
Educaton) Post Graduate Colleges
Agency
Diploma TEIs
Secondary
Schools
MoHR
Private Universities Degree, Primary &
(Unisel, OUM, Post Degree secondary
Schools
Advance Technology Advance Diploma, Public Skills
Centres (MoHR) Diploma, Training
Centre for Instructors In-Service Institutes
Skills
& Advances Skills Certificates (MoHR)
Development
Training (MoHR)
Department
Youth Skills
MoHR.
College
Informal
MARA Skills
Training
Malaysia
Institutes
Qualification
MARA Advance Advance Diploma, MARA Skills
Agency
Skills Centres Diploma, Training
(MoECD) In-Service Institutes
Certificates (MoECD)

3.5.1 Pre-Service Training at Teachers The pre-service TT-TVET takes place

Education Institute (TEI) at two levels, with training of non-graduate
in the TEIs and the graduates at the
universities (Lee, 1996). There are now 27

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Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
TEIs and the admission requirement to
these TEIs was an equivalent to MCE or
O-Level qualification, but now is being
slowly being raised to an equivalent of an
A-Level. Since 1996, the training period
has been lengthened from two and half
years to three years, leading to Diploma in
Teaching instead of a certificate of
Teaching. All the TEIs follow a common
curriculum, which adopts a generalist
approach for primary school teachers and
subject specialization for teachers at the
lower secondary level (Ministry of
Education, 1991). As Abdul Rafie (1999)
reported, there are six components in the
teacher-training curriculum as the
following;
I. Teacher Dynamics
II. Knowledge and Professional
Competence
III. Knowledge in Subject Option and
Specialization.
IV. Self-enrichment
V. Co-curricular activities
VI. Practicum
Over all, these initial teacher education
programs are geared towards the
professional, academic and personal
development of the students.
3.5.2 Pre-Service Training at the
Universities
i. Add-On Model
Graduate teachers for secondary
schools are mostly trained in the public
universities, which basically offer two
types of initial training programs. One is
the consecutive program where students
are required to take a one-year post
graduate diploma in education after
obtaining their first degree. This ‘Add-On”
teacher program has both advantages and
disadvantages. This type of programs
allows quick responses to the changing
demands of the labor market for teachers.
Students who opt for the Diploma in
Education program do not have to make
their career choice until they have
completed their undergraduate education.
However, the disadvantage of this
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program, it is difficult to attract high caliber
teachers candidates especially during
economic boom when job offering in other
field are plentiful.
ii. Blended Model
The universities have innovated the
Blended program, which takes in student
for teacher training at the beginning of
their undergraduate study. The idea is to
catch them young, for many students
would not mind choosing teacher
education program just so that they can
get admitted into a university. This is
especially the case in local universities
where competition for admission to other
field is very stiff. In the concurrent
program, the students do their teacher
training while at the same time they do
their academic studies and on completion
of the program, they obtain a bachelor
degree. In addition to these two programs,
some of which arte upgrading programs
for college trained teachers and other
specialized training in areas like TVET
special skills.
7. In-Service Training Model
(Cascading Approach and Self
Reliant Approaches)
In-service training programs generally
come in two forms; one form is mandatory
in line with a particular curriculum reforms.
For example, when the KBSM and KBSM
were introduced in 1983 and 1989
respectively, massive training are carried
out for practicing teachers so that they
would be familiar with the rationale ,
content and teaching methods of the new
curriculum. Usually the ‘Cascading
Approach” is used so that information
can be disseminated to all schools and
teachers at the quickest possible time.
The other kind of in-service training is
Self-Reliant approach . Practicing
teachers on theirs own initiatives choose
to engage in self reliant or life long
learning by undertaking various kinds of
upgrading courses so as to further their
own careers. For example, non graduate
teachers can register themselves in
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
various degrees in education programs
offered by public universities. Post
graduate programs leading to master
degree or doctorate degree have become
very popular among graduate teachers.
To meet the increasing demand, many
universities have begun to offer ‘off-shore’
programs which are usually part-time in
order to make these programs more
accessible to practicing teachers who
cannot leave their job to study full-time.
3.6 Issues and Challenges
I. Perceived as does not attractive to
attract young talent.
II. High turnover rate of trained and
experience teachers.
III. Proficiency of teachers in TVET
specialization.
IV. Gulf between training and actual
demands of carrying teaching job.
V. Linking theory and practice.
To overcome some of these problems and
challenges, the MoE has initiated several
important reforms pertaining to teacher
education. A major reform is;
I. Upgrading of Certificate to that of
Diploma level with the aim of giving
greater recognition to college-trained
teachers and to improve their teaching
effectiveness and motivation.
II. Better remuneration scheme. In
relation to the upgrading of the
qualification status is the increase in
the salary scheme so as to attract high
caliber talent to the teaching
profession.
III. Stringent procedures of selecting
candidates for the teacher trainees.
To ensure that capable people with the
right aptitude are recruited, a set of
stringent procedures were introduced
to select candidates for the TEI. These
procedures comprise of a two-tier
interview and qualifying test which is
an aptitude test (Abdul Rafie, 1991). In
addition to the minimum qualification,
candidates must fulfill other criteria
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such as having good communication
skills, a healthy and constructive
attitude towards teaching and the
teaching profession.
IV. Higher Performance Criteria for
Recruitment into the profession.
Students who enter teaching programs
at the universities have to seek their
own funding and not bonded to serve
in the teaching service. As from year
2008 onwards, the ministry has raised
the bar to attract excellent and high
performance students with CPA not
less than 2.75.
V. Redesign of the KBSR and the
KBSM curriculum of the primary and
secondary school consecutively.
Among the major changes are the
TVET subjects are offered earlier to
include the primary, lower secondary
and upper secondary levels, including
extending the offerings of TVET
subjects to rural schools students
throughout the country;
1. Primary Foundation Living Skills.
2. Lower Secondary : Integrated Living
Skills.
3. Upper-secondary : 12 electives of the
Vocational Subjects or Mata Pelajaran
Vokasional (MPV) for the academic
track and the Vocational Stream
Subjects or Mata Pelajaran Aliran
Vokasional (MPAV) for students of the
Vocational track in the Technical
Secondary Schools.
4. Matriculation : Technical and
Engineering Drawings and
Principles of Engineering are offered
as electives at Advance level for
students at Matriculation and Pre-
university class.
VI. The introduction of an open
certification system in the Malaysia
Schools Certificate or Sijil Pelajaran
Malaysia. Under this system
students are free to select
combination and amount of subjects
tailored to their career plan. The
banding of reporting system
according to first, second and third
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
division was abolished. Instead
student’s performance was being
recorded according to their grade
achievements of the individual
subjects taken in the examination.
VII. The introduction of the
compulsory and free 12 year
schooling beginning from age 7 to
18 before they can proceed to
tertiary and higher education level.
Apart from abolishing the annual
schooling fee, free loan textbooks
were also opened to all students
under this age group.
VIII. National Higher Education Loan
Fund or the `Pinjaman Tabung
Pendidikan Tinggi Negara (PTPTN)’
for fresh first degree university
students, `Pinjaman Tabung
Pendidikan Politeknik (PTPP)’ for
fresh certificate and diploma
students of the polytechnics and
community college system.
IX. The introduction of eTEK (English
in Technical Education) alongside
with eTEMS (English in Teaching of
Mathematics and Science) across
the entire schooling level and also in
the polytechnics and community
colleges teaching of sand the are
made available to fresh students
3.7 TT-TVET in the Informal Sector
When mentioning about the informal
sector, we are referring to the provision of
institutional TVET outside the normal
schooling system, that is training for the
purpose of entering the job market. Unlike
the formal sector which targeted younger
and fresh youngsters, the main audience
for this sector is mainly adults and
adolescent comprises of school leavers,
unemployed graduates and workers who
wish to secure a new career or to switch
employment.
In Malaysia, vocational and technical
schools, polytechnics and industrial
training institutions prepare youths for
employment in various industrial trades.
While they are mostly run by government
agencies, several private initiatives
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complement the government's efforts in
producing the skilled workers needed by
industry. The main government agencies
involved in training are:
(i) Ministry of Human Resources which
currently runs fourteen industrial
training institutes (ITIs). The ITIs offer
industrial skills training programmes at
basic, intermediate and advanced
levels for pre-employment or job entry
level. These include apprenticeship
programmes in the mechanical,
electrical, building and printing trades
as well as programmes to upgrade
skills and train instructors. The Ministry
also operates the Centre for
Instructors and Advanced Skills
Training (CIAST), the Japan-Malaysia
Technical Institute (JMTI) and four
advanced technology centres
(ADTECs).
(ii) The Ministry of Higher Education,
which was established in March 2004,
supervises 20 polytechnics and 34
community colleges to prepare skilled
manpower for industries. At the post-
secondary level, the formal training
conducted in polytechnics and
community colleges aims to produce
trained manpower at the semi-
professional level in engineering,
commerce and services sectors. More
polytechnics and community colleges
are being planned for establishment
under the Ninth Malaysian Plan (2006
- 2010).
(iii) Ministry of Education which runs 90
technical schools offering technical
and vocational courses. School
leavers from the technical schools can
either seek employment at entry level
or pursue their post-secondary
education at certificate or diploma
level in Polytechnics or Community
Colleges which are now under the
purview of Ministry of Higher
Education or other training institutions
under the supervision of other
ministries.
(iv) Ministry of Youth and Sports which
provides basic, intermediate and
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
advanced levels of industrial skills
training through its seven youth skills
training centres and the Youth
Advanced Skills Training Centre.
Short-term courses and skills
upgrading programmes are also being
conducted.
(v) Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) or
the Council of Trust for the Indigenous
People under the purview of the
Ministry of Entrepreneur
Development. MARA operates twelve
skills training institutes in different
parts of the country which offer
programmes at basic, intermediate
and advanced levels. MARA also
coordinates the operations of three
advanced skills training institutions, i.e.
the German-Malaysian Institute (GMI),
British Malaysian Institute (BMI) and
Malaysia France Institute (MFI).
As being mentioned in the earlier
paragraph, the informal sector in Malaysia
refers to all institutional provision of TVET
other than those programs provided by the
MoE and MoHE, in particular those related
to workforce training. Although there are
dozens of training providers which include
government, semi-government and private
involve in the skills training, TT-TVET are
left to the Ministry of Human Resources
and MARA that provide training of
teachers in this area. As the major training
provider, the Ministry of Human
Resources lead the other training
providers in the design and regulate the
National Dual Training System “Sistem
Latihan Dual Nasional ( SLDN)” since its
first inception in 2006. The idea was to
allow the employers to share and work
closely together with their counterpart in
every aspects of the training to produce
the perfectly matched and reliable
graduates for them to deploy.
However, the SLDN is still at its early
infancy stage and is yet to be extensively
operated. Apart from the government
funded institutions, other providers
especially those private and corporate
operators are still remote to the system.
Teachers, instructors and industrial
coach of the government funded
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institutions are being categorized as
Vocational Training Officer (VTO) by the
Public Service Department (PSD) and
being grouped into the remuneration
category of J41 or J27 at the point of
appointment to the post, equivalent to the
Teaching Engineer category. The services
of the VTOs of public training institutes are
transferable across all the related
government agencies.
The case is not the same for those
who teach at private funded institutions.
Their entry qualification and remuneration
varies not just according to their
qualification, experiences and
performance but also dependent upon the
affordability of their respective employers.
Similarly, they are also tagged under
numerous job designations, thus making it
difficult to make comparison.
Table 4: Designation of TT-TVET
Teachers
Government Funded Private Funded
Provider Provider
Vocational Training Licensed
Officer Engineer
Instructor Licensed
Technologist
Coach
Vocational
Lecturer
Training Officer
Instructor
Coordinator
Coach
Lecturer
Team Leader
Foreman
At present the major provider of TT-TVET
for the informal sector are;
1. Japan Malaysia Training Institute,
Seberang Perai, Penang.
- Advance Diploma in Vocational
Training Instructors : 3 years.
2. Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
- Bachelor degree in Engineering
(Dual System).
- Master degree in Technical
Education (Dual System).
- Doctorate degree in Technical
Education (Dual System).
3. German Malaysia Institute :
- Short Course Diploma in Industrial
pedagogy.
4.8 Model of TT-TVET Provision
a. Structural Model: This is the most
prevalent model for TT-TVET
programs. Characteristically the
program emphasize on general
education requirements and the
candidate’s proposed teaching field
.The candidates are admitted as
undergraduates into the four-Year
Bachelor Degree Programs. There are
two further sub-models;
- Majoring in Education: Apart
from focusing on the content
knowledge, students are allowed
to compliment their program with
prepare them license to enter the
teaching profession, students
cumulate their credits in specific
content areas. Example : Bachelor
in Education (Accountancy) in
UPM.
- Majoring in Specific Content
area. This is vice-versa from those
majoring in education. Apart from
focusing on license to enter the
teaching profession, students are
allowed to enrich themselves by
cumulate credits in specific content
areas of their choice. Example :
Diploma in Engineering with
Education.in UTHM
b. Integrated Models: This integrated
model normally took 5 years to
complete, is favorable by several
reform-oriented organizations, but it is
not common or popular among most
higher education. Advocates for the
five-year program assert that five
years of study is required to provide
adequate general education,
appropriate depth and breadth in the
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teaching field(s), adequate pedagogy,
and field experiences, including
student teaching.
Example : Bachelor in
Technical and Vocational Education
UTHM.
c. Teachers Education at Graduate
Level: During a period of teacher
shortages and concern over perceived
inadequacies among the K-12
teaching force, some institutions
initiated master of education
programs as a way to attract bright
college and university graduates into
the field of teaching and to provide
them with a rigorous preparation for
the job. Commonly, these programs
require two semesters sessions and
the intervening year, in which the first
between semester vacations involves
some orientation, practical teaching or
practicum in arts and sciences of
teaching and schooling.
Example : Master in Technical
Education (Coursework) in UTHM.
d. Alternative Structural Model: This is
the model design for career changers
that are alternative to traditional
program and are design to recognize
students prior education and
experience, they are not in the
mainstream programs that are referred
to as alternatives. This program is
conducted only with special request
and negotiation from the sponsor.
Example : Bachelor in Education
Management (IAB Headmasters
Qualification Upgrading Special
Program)
MoHR SLDN Staff Upgrading
Program.
4.9 Conceptual Variations in TT-TVET
Programs
Variety among TT-TVET programs
underscores the lack of a definitive
knowledge base on which to construct
programs for the preparation of teachers.
In the earlier paragraph of this paper we
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
considered structural variations with
differences in the amount of coursework
offered and required of prospective
teachers and with widely divergent
sequences of learning experiences. The
inevitable conclusion is that there is no
known best way to prepare teachers.
The conceptual variations that we
felt are related to the quality of programs,
which are;
1. Institutions should have a concept
about what a good teacher is and
should have designed a program to
educate such a person. The program
should be based on research and
accepted practices.
2. Candidates accepted into teacher
education should possess
characteristics predictive of success in
the program and in teaching.
3. Institutions should have good
relationships with schools to ensure
the opportunity for candidates to
observe and work with teachers who
are good role models.
4. Faculty should be knowledgeable
about their content area and the
nature of schools, and they should be
assisted in their efforts to stay current
with scholarship in teaching and
schooling.
5. Teacher education should be well
managed and should have adequate
resources to meet its goals.
4.10 Characteristics of Effective TT-
TVET Programs
Scannell D.P. (2007) listed out the
following characteristics of an effective
teacher education: .
1. A concept of good teaching is
apparent in courses and field
experiences. The concept is consistent
across courses and student
experiences; it has a cohesive
presence in the program.
2. Theory is taught in the context of
practice. Theory includes growth and
development, learning theory, and
pedagogical content knowledge.
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3. Extended field experiences are
articulated and sequenced with theory.
“Extended” refers to at least 30 weeks;
the field experiences are designed to
enhance what is studied in college
classes and to provide candidates with
the opportunity to apply and/or to see
theory in action.
4. A well-defined, accepted standard of
practice is used to guide coursework
and clinical experiences and to
evaluate them.
5. School/university partnerships are
based on shared beliefs. The
cooperating classroom teachers have
the disposition and ability to extend
and build on what the programs have
presented to candidates.
6. Assessment is comprehensive and
bonded to instruction, and results of
assessment are used to ensure that
candidates’ learning is applied to real
situations. Assessment data are
collected from case studies,
performance evaluation, and the use
of portfolios.
4.11 Malaysian Qualification Agency
The Malaysian Qualification
Framework (MQF) was developed in 2002
and approved in 2005 by the National
Higher Education Council. It also
recommended that a suitable legal body
be established to take charge and
implement MQF. In cognizance of the
issues and challenges in higher education
and the role it has to play in human capital
building. The Cabinet has on 21
December 2005 made a major decision to
establish Malaysia Qualification Agency
(MQA) to be responsible for quality
assurance in higher, tertiary and
vocational training sector and to
implement MQF.
4.12 Quality Assurance in TT-TVET
The main challenge in TT-TVET is to
develop program to suit specific needs of
different practitioners in the Malaysian
TVET system. From my experience
dealing with the curriculum construction
process at UTHM, among the main
question we need to clarified are;
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
1. How to form a closer link between
general education and TVET in
practice?
2. How to reduce the gap between
training and actual demand of the job?
3. How to integrate theory and practice?
4. What to draw from the various
disciplines to form a knowledge base
for sound practice?
I believed the content and methods of
training will continue to be at the heart of
concerns amongst teacher educators as
they strive to improve the quality of
teacher education in Malaysia.
To enhance the quality of teacher
education, there should be continual
research on the governance, curriculum
and processes of teacher education, as
well as the evaluation of existing teacher
education programs. The perspectives of
teacher education should be broadened to
include other practitioners in the
educational system and take into account
the widening role of the TVET teachers.
5.0 THE UTHM PERSPECTIVE
5.1 Managing Quality in the TT-
TVET Delivery : UTHM Perspective.
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
(UTHM) aspires to lead in market oriented
academic programmes which are student-
focused hands-on experiential learning, is
unique equivalent to the Germany's
Fachhochschule (university of applied
sciences). With a dose of strong industry-
orientated training and strong theoretical
background, the UTHM is poised to
provide top engineers and technologists in
the industry,
The University also gives high regard
to organization excellence and is
committed in its quality management
services as proven by becoming the first
university in the country to receive the MS
ISO 9001:2000 certification for the
teaching and learning awarded by SIRIM
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on 28 December 2001. Gradually
equipped with latest state of the art and
hi-tech facilities, the university is attracting
the best lecturers and tutors to help
students in their quest for the best
education, to become a world class
university by 2013 (KUiTTHO, 2004),
These aspiration has been deliberately
spelled out in the ten year blueprint 2004
– 2013, has taken into considerations the
aspiration of the MoHE in enhancing the
role of the university roles in education,
research and development.
With niche areas in TVET teachers
training, engineering, ICT and technology
management, UTHM has identified nine
areas that will be UTHM’s prime strategies
– product networking development,
internal competency development,
innovation development and state-of-the-
art technology application, setting up
excellent centres, strategic partnership
networking, internationalization process,
generating new income for the university,
consumer service system and innovative
structure.
5.2 Teacher training concept: UTHM
perspective
Professional development of teachers
begins with pre-service and gets renewed
through in-service programs. It, however,
does not mean that there is a simple
linearity between the two. There are
elements of 'change' and 'continuity' in
teacher education system which
necessitates renewal and up-gradation of
skills and competencies. The in-service
programs are also organized to sustain
the 'survival competencies' which the
teachers acquired years ago, during pre-
service education.
The objective of the TVET teacher training
concept can be summarized by using the
figure 1 below:
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional

Figure 1: TVET teacher training concept

The figure 2 shows that there have three cores of the concept which is used to produce a
quality TVET teacher according the established model of the pre-service TVET teacher
training. The core of the concept can be explored in the syllabus and the curriculum within
the module of TVET field in the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) module.

Figure 2: 3 Cores Concept

We acknowledge that quality of education is now an issue of global concern. The

Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3

• Current Practice • Qualitative Research • Curriculum

• Philosophy in Edu. Development
• Psychology • Micro Teaching • Leadership &
• Pedagogy • Statistic in Research Management
• Edu. Technology • IT & Multimedia • Measurement
• Research Method & Application &Assessment
Development • Co-curricular • Project & Thesis
Management • Teaching
• Project Proposal Training
• Teaching Training (4
Weeks)

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SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
famous four pillars of the Delars’ (er)
report on education for the 21st century
(learning to know, learning to do,
learning to live together and learning to
be) are intended to link education to
development, the aim of which should
be the “complete fulfillment of the
individual’s personality.
The Jomitien Declaration on Education
for all (article 4) had earlier stressed
that:
“The focus of basic education must
be on actual leaning acquisition and
outcome, rather than exclusive upon
enrolment, continued participation in
organized programs and completion
of certification requirement.”
What is perhaps the most distinguishing
characteristic of quality in education is
that it is (in the words of the World’s
Declaration on Higher Education) a
“multi-dimensional concept”. Quality
thus pervades every element of the
activities undertaken in the process of
educating and the wide array of
beneficial results of educational
activities on both individual learners and
the wider society.
Faculty of Technical
Education UTHM
With the vision of the faculty to
become an excellent centre as the
referral hub for TVET in the Asia-Pacific
region, we need to keep up abreast,
competent and innovative so that we
can response early to the rapid and
dynamic demands of our colleagues,
stakeholders and also the entire TVET
community.
The Faculty of Technical Education
is the sole provider of TT-TVET for
lecturers and instructors of the
Polytechnics and Community Colleges
education system, since 1993.
At present the faculty is offering TT-
TVET programs at all levels of the
university education system, ranging
from doctorate, masters, degree and
diploma level as indicated by the list
below,
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· Doctorate in Technical and
Vocational Education
· Masters in Technical and Vocational
Education (Research & Course
Work)
· Masters in Technical Education(Civil
Engineering)
· Masters in Technical Education
(Electrical Engineering)
· Masters in Technical Education
(Mechanical Engineering)
· Masters in Technical Education
(Instructional Design and
Technology)
· Bachelor Degree in Technical and
Vocational Education
· Diploma in Engineering with
Education (servicing other faculties)
We also conducted special request
programs such as the retraining of
primary schools headmasters,
unemployed graduates, post graduate
teaching certificate and also a special
programs for staff development of the
Ministry of Human Resources.
· Masters Degree in Technical
Education Dual System
(Manufacturing Tech.)
· Masters Degree in Technical
Education Dual System (Industry
Electronic)
· Bachelor Degree in Education
(Education Management) – for
primary school headmasters
· Diploma in Education – for
Polytechnic and Community College
staff.
· Diploma in Education (Engineering
Drawing)
· Diploma in Education (Engineering
Technology)
· Executive Diploma in Industry
Instructor
· Executive in Welding Technology
The mastery of the art of teaching is
a pre-condition for effective pedagogy
(science of teaching) in the teaching of
any given subjects, in particular in the
Technical Education Vocational and
Training, the niche task of the faculty.
We always envisaged the quality of
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
teaching and learning has to be
constantly upgraded. We also observed
that the quest to enhance proper quality
in the delivery of our curriculum as
utmost important tasks. A strong and
effective delivery system is integral to
individual success, social cohesion,
progress, goodwill and prosperity of our
existence. It is clear that our faculty
members have to be more and more
successful with a wide range of learners
in order to prepare future citizens with
the sophisticated TVET skills needed to
participate in a knowledge-based
society. The sort of curriculum
leadership and changes needed to help
students develop the ability to think
critically, create, solve complex
problems and master complex subject
matter, is much demanding than that
needed to impart and develop routine
skills. Thus our faculty have to be both
knowledgeable in the content areas and
extremely competent in a wide range of
teaching approaches to carter for the
diverse learning needs of every student.
A TVET teacher has to play diversified
roles and responsibilities such as a
subject specialist, an experienced
practitioner, an effective communicator,
a curriculum and instructional material
developer, a manager, a counsellor, an
evaluator and a motivator for
entrepreneurship.
Capacity building and improvement
of our curriculum are conducted in an
organised formal manner. The
improvement, improvisation and change
are very dynamic and are an on-going
process to meet the agenda set forth by
the university and also our
stakeholders.
In line with the aspiration of the
university, the faculty is fast in venturing
new areas and adopting new ideas to
ensure the quality and efficiency of our
delivery system which we cannot
compromise. For the purpose of this
paper, we only spelled out the following
major six interventions;
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I. Outcome-Based Approaches
II. Students Centred Experiential
based Learning.
III. Modular Instruction Approaches
IV. Internationalization
V. Online Electronic Learning
Management System
VI. ICT in TVET Teaching Training
I. Outcome-Based Approaches
This intervention in the delivery system
is implemented through the adopting of
the outcome-based approaches to
student learning involves four important
areas of work for the purpose of
enhancing quality of student learning in
our programmes:
· as the starting point define clearly
what students should be able to do
on completion of their course of
study (intended learning outcomes)
· design the curriculum, teaching,
learning and assessment to enable
students to achieve the intended
learning outcomes (alignment)
· collect data on students'
achievement of learning outcomes
(outcomes assessment)
· use outcome assessment data to
inform further development and
enhancement of the
programme/subject (continuous
improvement).
The teaching objectives are being
considered as different from the
intended students learning outcomes.
The Students Learning Outcomes
(SLOs) refer to the knowledge, skills
and attitudes to be demonstrated by the
students upon completion of a program
or subject. In the Faculty of Technical
Education UTHM, the overarching
outcome for all undergraduate programs
is developing 'all-rounded students with
professional competence in TVET'. This
means that our graduates are expected
to possess academic and professional
knowledge and skills such that they can
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
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perform readily in their respective
professions; and at the same time to
possess a range of generic attributes
and competences for all-rounded
development such as critical thinking,
creativity, team work skills, leadership,
capability for life-long learning, etc.
II. Students Centred Experiential
based Learning.
In aligning teaching and learning
methods with intended SLOs, involves
key stages such as aligning teaching
with SLOs, assessment with SLOs,
criteria rubrics as checklist and
curriculum mapping. Our faculty
members are re-training to plan their
teaching and learning strategies to
engage in an active class to support the
attainment of these outcomes. The four
key features of the ‘active classroom’
are (1) Thinking; (2) Task-Focused; (3)
Teamwork; & (4) Transcendence
(beyond the normal classroom).
· Thinking
The methods are able to motivate
students to think deeply with and
about the important concepts and
theories in their respective
disciplines, and to apply the new
understanding and skills in exploring
and dealing with real-life problems
in their future professions. We need
to consider and whether they give
students enough space to come up
with their own ‘burning questions’ to
which they want answers, and are
interested and able to grapple with
the questions put to them.
· Task-Focused
The methods provide students with
opportunities to engage themselves
frequently in meaningful learning
tasks where they are challenged to
ask questions, think, discuss, apply
and evaluate their new
understanding and skills.
· Teamwork
The methods require students to
work with their peers in teams, both
inside and outside the classroom.
And the methods can encourage
2131
students to become active members
of the wider learning community of
the real world.
· Transcendence (beyond the
normal classroom)
The methods encourage students to
learn not only through interacting
with their teachers and peers in the
scheduled face-to-face sessions,
but also through interacting with
other people in different kinds of
out-of-class activities such as
technology-enhanced discussions
and forums, workplace and
community-based experiences in
workplace, partnership with
professional, and international
exchanges, etc. The teaching and
learning methods should also
encourage students to make
connections with and appreciate a
broader context of learning.
The teaching and learning methods
shall be dominated active participation
from the students, such as with
Interactive Lecture, Case-Based
Learning, Problem-Based Learning,
Simulation, Role Play and Fish-Bowl
Observation, Tutorial, Self-Directed
Learning, Experiential Learning,
Laboratory Work, Fieldwork, Peer
Tutoring, and e Learning mechanism.
III. Modular Instruction (MI) in
TVET
Many earlier researchers suggested
that MI meets the needs of today's
students more adequately than
traditional instruction both with respect
to the quality of learning and the
content. The MI in TEVT programs are
been carefully designed coherently in a
very systematic manner to enhance the
mastering of the both technical and
generic competencies effectively.
IV. Internationalizing TVET
Programs
We fully accepted the responsibility
of our country to deal with the transfer
of knowledge between countries and
the mobility of individuals who seek
higher education. We also believe that
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internationalizing the campus is an
important facet of the development of
higher education institutions. It helps to
prepare its students for the challenges
of globalization that are currently
creating a high degree of
interdependence among nations, and
featured high on the agenda of the
university and also our faculty as
envisioned in university’s blue print.
Our faculty has championed most
successfully in engaging international
collaboration and networking through
cross-border recruitment of students,
joint ventures and credit transfer,
students exchange and visiting of
professors. For example the faculty
dean has been appointed as the reader
and visiting professor to a renowned
and highly reputable university in
Germany, apart from functioning as lead
expert members in UNESCO-UNEVOC
and also within regional ASEAN
universities.
V. Learning Management System
and University Campus
Interactive Television (UCiTV)
As part of the effort to provide a
more flexible and effective means of the
delivery system in the university, the
university has adopted the Blackboard
6.3 Basic Edition, an online Learning
Management System (or LMS) that
enables the management and delivery
of online content to learners. This web-
based online learning mechanism help
to facilitate "anytime, any place, any
pace" access to learning content and
administration.
Meanwhile the UCiTV are provided
in the form of online Video on demand
(VOD) systems allow users to select
and watch video content over a network
as part of an interactive television
system. VOD systems either "stream"
content, allowing viewing while the
video is being downloaded, or
"download" it in which the program is
brought in its entirety to a set-top box
before viewing starts. All download and
some streaming video on demand
2132
systems provide the user with a large
subset of VCR functionality including
pause, fast forward, fast rewind, slow
forward, slow rewind, jump to previous/
future frame etc. For streaming systems
this requires more effort on the part of
the server, and may also require greater
network bandwidth
It is possible to put video servers on
LANs, in which case they can provide
very rapid response to users. Streaming
video servers can also serve a wider
community via a WAN, in which case
the responsiveness may be reduced.
Download VOD services are practical to
homes equipped with cable modems or
DSL connections.
VI ICT in TVET Teachers
Training
Strategies have been designed to
equip teachers with the knowledge and
skills to use Technology effectively in
the classroom. The teacher training
curricula focus on providing teachers
with the knowledge and experience in
using technology for teaching and
learning. The use of computers and
multimedia to facilitate and enhance
learning permeates all subject
disciplines. For this purpose, media unit
as well as computer labs have been set
up in the faculty. At present our
students have Internet access via
leased-line while the other colleges
access the UTHM servers. This move
though has had implications for teacher
training in that the role of the would-be
teacher and the teacher in service is
constantly shifting to keep pace with
new developments and trends in
teaching and learning. The teacher is
challenged to integrate technology in
the teaching and learning process to
make learning dynamic, interactive and
motivating.
IT is also introduced as a subject
major and elective in the postgraduate
Diploma in Teaching as well as a
subject major in the Post Diploma
Certificate in Teaching programme.
The focuses in these programmers are
SEMINAR INTERNASIONAL
Revitalisasi Pendidikan Kejuruan dalam Pengembangan SDM Nasional
the knowledge and skills in using
computers, the application of IT in
teaching and learning, and the
production of educational courseware.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The rapid change of technology in
many countries gives the idea to
develop a training program for
Technical and Vocational Education and
Training (TVET) trainer. The
development of TVET trainer program
need to be reconstructed regarding to
the change of the technology as the
impact of the globalization. In TVET
staff development emphasizing more on
the TVET teacher, some criteria in the
current practice module should be given
added-value to establish the
competencies of TVET teacher. The
additional module should be able to
benchmark and differentiate between
TVET teachers training from other
teacher training programs. As a
conclusion, TVET teacher training
should be a program that can upgrade
the knowledge and technical skill of any
future technical teacher.
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