I am humbled even though very busy preparing for Deepavali Day celebrations, CPA Suppiah Subramaniam, one of my consistent readers posted an encouraging feedback on my story “TVET & skills development much-needed dose of relevant into education for alignment with the future evolving industries” dated Friday, 06 November 2026. I quote him “Thanks for sharing this interesting article on the TVET program. It is good the Government is focusing on this program to meet the on-going changes requirements for employment. Hope more of our students opt for this program.”
As Industry Fellow and Management Educator, I learned from UNESCO Institute for Statistics data tracking tertiary education outputs that Malaysia ranks among the top countries globally for the percentage of tertiary graduates receiving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees. Nearly 58.6% of public university students in Malaysia enrolled in or graduated from STEM disciplines, placing Malaysia well above the global average in terms of student preference for technical field. For Global Talent Competitiveness, Malaysia ranked 25th globally in the IMD World Talent Ranking. The Strengths: High availability of skilled labor, solid technical infrastructure, and growing appeal for foreign tech investment (particularly in semiconductors and AI data centers). However, despite high output, reports highlight gaps in post-graduation R&D absorption, specialized industry-matched apprenticeships, and brain drain of top-tier engineering talent.
Taking a peek into the Malaysia's Future of Work, I have discovered that by 2050, Malaysia will undergo major transformations driven by science and technology, improving governance, education, economy, and wellbeing. A strong STI ecosystem will create globally recognized innovations. The Government will use big data and smart technologies to enhance decision-making & collaboration. The economy will thrive with digital technologies, while globally competitive workforce. Urban areas will embrace smart cities and green living, with sustainable technologies for energy and water. (https://www.akademisains.gov.my)
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