Kota Kinabalu: Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is no longer a second- or third-tier education option, with its graduates recording a 95.5 per cent employability rate, said Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan.
He said the strong employability rate showed that TVET had gained equal standing with academic fields offered by higher education institutions.
“TVET today is no longer in the second and third class, but stands equally alongside the academic fields offered at higher education institutions,” he said at the 29th ADTEC JTM Convocation for the Borneo Region, here, last Thursday.
Khairul said the National TVET Council recorded that 56.86 per cent of about 460,000 SPM leavers chose TVET as their first education option in 2025.
He said the Federal Government aimed to increase the figure to 70 per cent by 2030.
He added that the Human Resources Ministry remained open to more youths enrolling in full-time training programmes at the 33 Advanced Technology Training Centres (ADTEC) under the Department of Manpower (JTM) nationwide.
Khairul also highlighted the 97.2 per cent employer satisfaction rate with ADTEC JTM graduates in 2025, saying this demonstrated that the graduates were not only in demand but also able to perform effectively in the workplace.
He urged the public to view TVET as a platform for lifelong learning by taking part in short-term courses offered by ADTEC JTM, particularly those involving emerging technologies such as big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and blockchain.
On whether more ADTEC JTM centres would be opened, Khairul said this would depend on industry demand, workforce requirements and the sustainability of the surrounding industrial ecosystem.
“It depends on the industry itself whether there is sufficient industry to support it, whether there is a requirement to set up a new ADTEC, and whether the ecosystem is sustainable,” he said.
He said existing ADTEC JTM programmes were already tailored to industry requirements, with input from industry players, discussions with employers and relevant data taken into consideration when determining workforce needs.
Khairul said the approach was particularly important in Sabah, which was pursuing an aggressive development agenda to expand various industries and would require more skilled workers.
“ADTEC JTM’s role is not merely to provide technical training, but to ensure fresh graduates possess skills that match the needs of the industries they would eventually enter,” he said.
The 29th ADTEC JTM Convocation for the Borneo Region, covering Sabah and Labuan, celebrated 704 graduates from three campuses.
They comprised 276 graduates from ADTEC JTM Kota Kinabalu, 147 from the Sandakan campus and 281 from Labuan.
They were among 8,255 ADTEC JTM graduates nationwide being honoured through regional convocation ceremonies held since Aug 4.
