SEPANG: Work-Based Learning (WBL) programmes offered at polytechnics will be expanded to produce more skilled workers with direct exposure from industries, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He said currently, seven fields of study for bachelor's and diploma degrees under the WBL programme are offered full-time at 11 polytechnics, including engineering, hospitality, logistics, culinary arts, cosmetics, entrepreneurship and vehicle maintenance.
Among the polytechnics offering WBL programmes are Ungku Omar Polytechnic in Perak, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Polytechnic in Selangor, Merlimau Polytechnic in Melaka, Metro Polytechnic in Johor, and Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic in Sabah.
“We want to increase our WBL programmes. For example, we will add fields like hospitality and banking,” he said at a press conference after attending the Higher Education Minister's Roundtable Meeting with the Polytechnic Industry Advisory Council (PIAC) here today.
The WBL programme, introduced in 2011, is a work-based learning method involving collaboration between educational institutions and industries, utilising a combined approach of academic learning and real-world experience in the workplace.
Mohamed Khaled stated that to achieve this goal, cooperation between polytechnic educational institutions and industries will be strengthened. -Bernama