KUALA LUMPUR: The government is hopeful that its proposed collaboration with the private sector for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme can successfully train 100,000 youths this year, economy minister Rafizi Ramli said.
He said if this number were successfully trained under the TVET programme, it could help resolve unemployment among youths and the skills mismatch of fresh graduates and trainees.
“The economy ministry is cooperating with all the relevant ministries but we also need the cooperation of the private sector.
“The government’s decision to allow TVET to be operated by the private sector will lessen the gap between the skills and training provided and the demands of employers,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit), who asked what action the economy ministry intends to take to improve the socioeconomic status of youths in the country.
Acknowledging that there was a “big gap” between skills acquired by youths and the demands of industry players, Rafizi said his ministry will continue to work with the relevant ministries and the private sector to resolve the issue.
On Feb 2, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government plans to have greater engagement with businessmen and industry players as an immediate measure to resolve the skills mismatch hampering school-leavers and fresh graduates from getting employed.
He said Putrajaya would propose that businesses and companies partnered with it under the TVET programme to ensure that fresh graduates and trainees gained the necessary expertise to meet the needs of each company.
Anwar said the special Cabinet committee chaired by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would continue to look into the matter and identify private companies that could partially or fully adopt TVET.