Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar speaks at the launching the Modular Professional Certification program in Shah Alam, November 25, 2019. — Bernama pic
SHAH ALAM, Nov 25 — The Ministry of Human Resources (KSM) plans to introduce the Tahfiz Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) in an effort to improve students’ academic performance.
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar said armed with this certificate, students in the tahfiz stream would have more job opportunities.
“Currently when the tahfiz students complete their studies, they will only obtain an educational certificate from the institution. However, with the Tahfiz SKM, they will be equipped with several other skills apart from the ability to memorise the Quran.
“So far, I have met over 70 tahfiz centre operators in Kedah and they seem to agree that the move will provide a brighter future for tahfiz students. I hope Kedah will be a pioneer in this endeavor,” he told reporters after launching the Cyber Security Modular Professional Certification Programme here today.
Also present was Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) president Tan Sri Dr Ts. Ahmad Zaidee Laidin and the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Amir Omar.
Mahfuz said efforts to introduce the Tahfiz SKM was akin to the objectives of having the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programme, which was introduced earlier to enable the students to obtain TVET certificates.
“As such the first step (in the introduction of the Tahfiz SKM) is to upgrade the tahfiz centre management and for the teaching staff to attend similar courses adopting TVET teaching and management methods,” he said.
Earlier at the event, MBOT together with the Department of Skills Development (JPK) and CyberSecurity Malaysia held a strategic collaboration to develop the certification programme.
A total of 14 memorandums of understanding were exchanged between MBOT and representatives of institutes of higher learning, among them Perdana University, Taylor’s University, Institution of Civil Engineers, Centre of Applied Data Science and Open University Malaysia (OUM).
You or your child may not perform well academically but “WHO YOU CHOOSE TO BE” will make you who you are ― Soothsayer (character from KungFu Panda)
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Human Resources Minister, Datuk Mahfuz Omar wants parents to erase negative perceptions against Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a second choice for weak students compared to conventional academic field.
He said parents should place more confidence and support on their children taking TVET as this field is capable of producing the local manpower needed by the industry and nation to face Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).
“The move is seen as giving confidence to the people in TVET,” he told a question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat here today.
Mahfuz was replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib (BN-Maran) on the statistics of TVET student intake which is still low compared to developed countries such as Germany, Holland and Australia and wanted to know what are the measures taken towards empowering the field.
To empower TVET, Mahfuz said via a 2025 plan under the National Skills Development Council which involved six ministries, his ministry is also focusing on TVET Tahfiz programme as the first step to extend skills training to young Tahfiz students.
“We want to ensure Tahfiz students also have a future to enter the employment sector,” he said.
Mahfuz said he had held a meeting with Kedah State Islamic Religious Council recently which was attended by 70 Tahfiz centre representatives to discuss the government’s plan for Tahfiz TVET
Source: Bernama
Comment:
There are many opportunities ahead for TVET graduates, whether it’s a guaranteed lifeskill to earn a living, establishing a business from the skills acquired & polished through valuable industry experience or furthering study to higher education institutions.
So, what are you waiting for? Find a suitable TVET institution that offers the course that can fulfill your dream!
Besides technical bachelors (Bachelor of Technology), TVET graduates with SKM2, SKM3 or DKM will also have a chance to obtain an executive bachelor in industrial management in a much shorter time frame (9 months) under the URise program that’s being offered by Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, KL together with ISE Education Sdn Bhd. URise program has been specially designed for TVET graduates, hence need not worry that it’s too academic & tough. Blended learning is implemented (online & offline learning at the University) to move with times. *KWSP withdrawal can be done, on top of other payment options like credit card & the latest e-wallets.
Human Resources Development Fund chairman Datuk Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin speaking in an interview at Balai Berita in Kuala Lumpur recently. – NSTP/ Rohanis ShukriBy Esther Landau – November 21, 2019 @ 12:02pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The number of registered Malaysian employers and employees under the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) has steadily increased after Pakatan Harapan took over the government in May last year.
HRDF chairman Datuk Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin said as at last Thursday, 29,163 employers have registered with the fund compared with 28,991 as at last month.
She said 2.42 million employees have registered with HRDF compared with 2.41 million as at last month.
HRDF expects to register at least 30,000 employers, or 30 per cent, by year end.
“The total number of employers that are supposed to be registered under the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Bhd Act 2001 should be 42,824, or 68 per cent. For employees, we have covered about 93 per cent of an estimated 2.60 million.
“We register about 100 local companies in a week. In order to encourage them to register with us, we constantly engage with them through various platforms and initiatives.
“So far, we have engaged with 20,233 employers and these initiatives are mainly to update or register employers on the latest offerings, services and many more,” she told the New Straits Times in an interview at Balai Berita here recently.
Touching on absenteeism among employers and workers during training programmes conducted by HRDF, Farida said the trend was worrying.
She said the problem occurred mainly among the small and medium enterprises, as many of them were reluctant to conduct training programmes for their employees, claiming it was a waste of time.
“Therefore, we constantly engage with the employers to convince them of the benefits of training. The workers need to be upskilled to prepare them for future challenges.
“We are trying to overcome this situation through such engagements. Perhaps we can introduce new methods, such as a facial recognition system, to aggressively encourage them to attend the training programmes. However, this is still under discussion,” she said.
HRDF chief executive Elanjelian Venugopal said they were looking at developing a comprehensive system to predict fraud elements in the data collected.
He said the Fund conducted about 130,000 training sessions in a year, and with such a system, they could predict areas which were likely to be fraudulent.
“Once it is in place, we can identify who actually attends the training programme or stays throughout the session.
“Another method we are looking at is Geofencing technology, which can trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves a certain area or location.
“The system can track your attendance and whereabouts when activated. With such a technology, we are able to identify anyone who is cheating.
“They will be charged within our act and we have the right to penalise the employers and training providers caught cheating.”
On the 2020 Budget allocation announced by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng last month, Farida said the RM50 million would be utilised for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and other upskilling and training programmes.
She said RM30 million would go towards TVET initiatives, aimed at reducing the unemployment rate.
She said HRDF would continue to collaborate with the Human Resources Ministry, industry players, employers and many other stakeholders.
“They will provide the TVET programmes to at least 3,000 youths from the low-income groups, mainly the B40.
“The remaining RM20 million of the allocation, plus an additional RM20 million from us, will be used for upskilling at least 4,000 Malaysians through professional certification examinations related to the Industrial Revolution 4.0.”
HRDF, she said, would continue to implement other initiatives for housewives, disabled (and differently-abled), retirees, graduates and school-leaver groups.
She said among them were the Housewives Enhancement and Reactivate Talent Scheme, Graduates Enhancement Programme for Employability 2.0 and the National Dual Training System.
“We have a scheme specifically designed to assist the disabled in securing employment by furnishing them with appropriate knowledge skills and competencies required in the industry.
“One of the schemes is OKU Talent Enhancement Programme. A total of 413 disabled people have been trained as at last month.
“The modules include English Proficiency Conversation online, Certificate in Hospitality Operations, Professional Certificate Retail Operations and Electrical Machinery Skills Training.”
Sambutan Hari Profesion Teknikal Negara (HPTN) adalah bagi menghargai jasa para profesion teknikal atas sumbangan mereka terhadap kemajuan infrastruktur, pembangunan dan permodenan negara.
Antara bidang teknikal yang dikenalpasti termasuk kejuruteraan, sains, teknologi, seni bina dan ukur.
Tatacara Pendaftaran: 1. Klik pada tab REGISTER 2. Sila pilih KATEGORI pendaftaran dengan pilihan 1 pada dropdown menu. 3. Klik pada butang REGISTER untuk melengkapkan pendaftaran.
KUANTAN: The sky is the limit for Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP). Ranked among the top 800 best universities in the world based on the QS World University Rankings (WUR) 2020, UMP is aiming to become a leader in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country.
Last year, it emerged as the first local technical and non-research university to receive the prestigious QS 5-star overall rating award.
UMP Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff said the university had become a platform to produce a well-trained technical workforce with skills that catered to the future.
This was attributed to the varsity being part of the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) alongside Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
“UMP is strengthening its high-end TVET and moving forward to emerge as the pinnacle for TVET education. We are moving towards producing a home-grown workforce that caters to the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said.
“One is not required to be smart, but skilful and multitalented. It is about learning specific skills through repetitive practice on different equipment, machines or systems.
“We want the public, especially parents, to give importance to TVET as some view it as a back-up option for their children. MTUN helps graduates to become more capable at sophisticated tasks, which will be required for the future job market.”
Wan Azhar said UMP would be offering a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Railway Maintenance) programme to cater to the burgeoning sector.
“As long as there are trains in the country, we will require railway maintenance technologists. We cannot remove these railway infrastructures, so we have to produce a skilled workforce for this sector.”
Dr Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff
In a move to bring out the best of TVET, UMP will carry out a minor restructuring exercise in its campuses in Gambang and Pekan next year.
Wan Azhar said the Gambang campus would be renamed the UMP College of Engineering and College of Management and Humanities, while the Pekan campus would be renamed the College of Engineering Technology and College of Computing and Science.
“We have equipment and facilities in Pekan, and this allows our students to be hands-on when it comes to TVET. UMP Pekan will serve as a technology campus and this is part of our efforts to achieve our goals in TVET.”
UMP graduates are able to secure employment with companies that have business links with Germany following an academic collaboration for a postgraduate degree in mechanical engineering and automotive engineering with the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HsKA).
UMP Chancellor Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will be presenting the scrolls to graduates at the 14th UMP convocation today.
A total of 3,778 graduates will receive their scrolls during the two-day ceremony.
The event will be historic as Tan Sri Dr Abi Musa Asaari Mohamed Nor will be proclaimed as UMP’s pro-chancellor, while HeiTech Padu Bhd executive chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hilmey Mohd Taib will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Information Technology.
TVET Valued Industry Partners (TVET VIP) merujuk kepada pihak industri yang telah memberikan komitmen, kerjasama dan sokongan serta sumbangan dalam pelaksanaan program-program TVET negara. Anugerah TVET Valued Industry Partners (TVET VIP) ini merupakan satu inisiatif daripada JKKPTVET bagi mengiktiraf dan menggalakkan peranan sektor industri yang menyumbang kepada memperkasa bidang Teknikal dan Vokasional (TVET) Negara.
Tarikh Tutup: 30 November 2019 (Sabtu)
Maklumat lanjut dan pertanyaan: Tel: 03-8888 3150 (Ilyas Mohd Nawi) Emel: jkkptvet@moe.gov.my Laman Web JKKPTVET: http://jkkptvet.moe.gov.my
Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) (www.ump.edu.my) has recently partnered with the Asia Centre of Excellence for Smart Technologies (ACES) to cooperate and collaborate on activities in connection with accelerating the adoption of related smart technologies and digital initiatives of the fourth industrial revolution (now popularly referred to as Industry Revolution 4.0, or IR4.0) – especially where it concerns human capital development in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) of Malaysia, and in Southeast Asia, generally.
Based at the Cybercentre in Pahang Technology Park (PTP), ACES is an initiative between ECER Development Council (ECERDC) and Germany’s TUM International GmbH – a networking of government agencies, industry players and academic institutions – to boost technical and vocational education and training (TVET), as well as to enhance smart technology skills, training and consultancy, specifically in the digitalization and automation processes under IR4.0.
TUM International is essentially the subsidiary of Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany’s top-ranking university based on the ‘QS World University Ranking’ and one of the best universities in Europe.
It is well regarded as a leading provider for the development, coordination and operation of integrated science and industry clusters as well as technology transfer and talent management programmes with international partners from research, politics and industry.
Leveraging TUM International’s experience and expertise, ECERDC will be collaborating to provide technical blueprints and roadmap, trainings, certifications, as well as advisory and consulting works for the introduction and upscaling of technology in various fields within the private and public sector for IR4.0, as well as other innovative and smart technologies.
The tripartite collaboration, sealed vide a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Germany on October 17, 2019, saw UMP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ir. Dr. Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff signed on behalf of the university, whilst Chief Executive Officers (CEO) Baidzawi Che Mat and Daniel Gottschald represented ECERDC and TUM International, respectively.
Present to witness the MoU was Malaysia Minister of Education, Dr. Maszlee Malik, who was on official working visit to Germany.
TVET Influencer merupakan individu sama ada adiwira TVET atau selebriti yang menjadi idola dan role model kepada belia dalam bidang TVET.
KRITERIA TVET INFLUENCER Permohonan adalah terbuka kepada seluruh warganegara Malaysia berusia 18 tahun ke atas yang mempunyai pengalaman dalam bidang berkaitan TVET.
KATEGORI
Kategori Selebriti
Adiwira TVET
Wang Tunai dan Sijil Pengiktirafan untuk TVET Influencer yang dipilih.
Tarikh Tutup: 30 November 2019 (Sabtu)
Maklumat lanjut dan pertanyaan: Tel: 03-8888 3150 (Agalita Joseph) Emel: jkkptvet@moe.gov.my Laman Web JKKPTVET: http://jkkptvet.moe.gov.my
FOR the nation to move forward in tandem with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) and beyond, there is a clear need for a well-trained technical workforce with skill sets that are present- and future-ready as well as future-resilient.
Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) programmes have always been seen as the vehicle to prepare aptly-skilled human capital but somehow the general perspective is that they fall short in terms of the level of skills and knowledge needed for the industry to forge ahead.
Graduates who have qualified from TVET institutions previously do not have a clear career pathway to further their studies and secure jobs that are highly technical in nature.
To create more career pathways and opportunities for TVET students, the Education Ministry with the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) comprising four universities — Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) , Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) , Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) — and the professional body for technologists and technicians, the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT), have collaborated in establishing newly developed Bachelor of Technology Degree (BTech) programmes in specific technology fields.
Some universities have introduced several of the courses last month at the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year while other universities will make the courses available in September next year.
The curriculum is more practical and flexible to meet the challenges of the IR 4.0.
The articulation process entails matching the courses, requirements and coursework at vocational colleges with that at higher education institutions.
“KVs start enrolling students as young as 16, post PMR/PT3 examination towards Diploma Vokasional Malaysia (DVM) through Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM) without SPM. That posed a problem for the graduates should they decide to pursue a Bachelor’s degree and beyond at public universities. Other than that they often face difficulty in transitioning from TVET-based education to an academic-based degree programme,” he explained.
Tan Sri Ahmad Zaidee Laidin
The entry level requirement for BTech programmes in MTUN is not based solely on SPM qualification, Ahmad Zaidee highlighted.
For DVM graduates, most of the candidates have taken the equivalency courses to SPM’s Bahasa Melayu dan Sejarah, namely Bahasa Melayu 1104 as well as Sejarah 1251. For DKM and DLKM graduates, most of the students have taken SPM which already includes Bahasa Melayu and Sejarah.
In any case this nation-building initiative is not met, MTUN has agreed the student can enrol for the courses during their tenure years of BTech studies.
“MBOT through Technicians Act 2015 (Act 768) has established the Technology & Technical Accreditation Council (TTAC). This is a Joint Technical Committee with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) to perform accreditation on professional technology and technical programmes. The council has published a Technology & Technical Accreditation Manual 2019 (TTAC MANUAL) for a comprehensive guideline for education providers (EP) to design and develop their programmes in the advanced technological fields,” he said.
UniMAP Academic Management Office dean Professor Dr Anuar Mat Safar said the availability of BTech programmes for DVM and DKM qualification holders is timely.
“It is estimated there are 50,000 students graduating with DVM and DKM every year. With the availability of BTech programmes, these students can obtain Bachelor’s degree-level qualifications as per required to face the challenges of IR 4.0,” he said.
Associate Professor Dr Anuar Mat Safar
DIFFERENTIATION
The main difference between BTech and conventional degree programmes is that the former were developed based on occupational requirement while the latter are more discipline-based, UTeM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Wira Dr Raha Abdul Rahim explained.
“In conventional degree, fundamental and technological courses such as mathematics, physics etc are taught separately. In BTech programmes, the focus is for a graduate to perform a task in the work environment, hence fundamental and technological knowledge that is usually taught in different courses are embedded into a course on a particular competency set,” she said.
UTeM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Wira Dr Raha Abdul Rahim
For example, she illustrated that a BTech Welding programme comprises a course of Welding inspection that combines elements of mathematics, physics, material studies, and local laws accordingly rather than have the subjects taken in separate courses, as with conventional programmes.
UTHM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Wahid Razzaly, meanwhile, explained that the current delivery or execution of BTech programmes uses the approach of Work Based Learning (WBL) in block released manner. This means the students undergo their studies in two phases: two and a half years at university and another year in the industry.
“The curriculum structure is towards preparing students into industry 4.0 in line with the Program Educational Objective, which is to produce technologist, technopreneur and entrepreneurship.
As such, the success ratio of higher graduate employability is ensured as the students will have a structured WBL courses in the industry itself within a year before they graduate,” he said.
He said another delivery approach via apprenticeship is still in the development progress. The idea is to have workers upgrade their qualifications by studying two days in university and working three days.
COLLABORATION
UMP Center for Academic Innovation & Competitiveness (CAIC) director Associate Professor Dr Mohd Rusllim Mohamed, who is a director of the MBOT Technology and Technical Accreditation Secretariat, observed that MoE and the Ministry of Human Resources have been working closely to ensure the programmes are running accordingly.
“So far, the government has distributed some budget for reskilling and upskilling of existing lecturers, mentoring training for industry workers, and the implementation of a newly developed concept of teaching factory — University Revaluation Teaching Factory (URTF). Here, students are involved in industry production line, thus creating valuable experiential learning even before they graduate,” he said.
He related that MoE has approached the Malaysian German Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MGCCI) to become a strategic partner to BTech’s MTUN, so that the programmes can be further improved to meet the German standards.
“With MGCCI on board, all of its over 400 companies’ partners would be willing to be part of the ministry’s TVET empowerment agenda,” he said.
To improve the quality of teaching and learning based on IR 4.0, Anuar said UniMAP is currently applying to develop a teaching plant through the URTF effort.
“This involves practical sessions of industrial design, engineering design and 3D printing at this teaching plant,” said Anuar.
UniMAP’s Faculty of Engineering Technology has also applied for TVET transfer of technology (TOT) for existing lecturers to further enhance their knowledge and skills.
“The main objective of this TOT is to obtain professional certification for lecturers at the faculty. Some laboratories are also proposed to be turned into industrial laboratories, to enable professional certificates to be issued. Training to obtain a teaching professional certificate has also been proposed as one of the TOT TVET agendas to be implemented after this provision is approved,” he said.
At UTHM, Wahid said nine memoranda of understanding and eight letters of intent with related industries have been signed.
“The University-Industry partnerships include those with Siemens, Acson, Carrier, Festo, HardRock Hotel, NIOSH, Binaan Desjaya and Proton. The approach of BTech programmes is to have 60 per cent work-based learning and 40 per cent theory,” he said.
EXPECTATIONS
Director of UTeM’s Academic Planning and Development Office Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Fahmi Miskon said with a BTech degree in hand, TVET graduates can also request for appropriate and adequate amount of salaries coherent with the skills that they own.
“It is believed that the competition for fresh graduates to get a job has gotten tougher. Hands-on skills, experience and knowledge are what employers look for today,” he said.
Other than having more students involved in skilled courses, Ahmad Zaidee said it is also very important to get the students to further their studies so that they would be more intellectually improved in many aspects.
“The graduates of these programmes are expected to be employed as soon as they graduate because the programmes are designed to fulfil the needs of the industries.
“The launch of B.Tech programmes in MTUN reflects the government’s commitment in promoting and acknowledging TVET as the driving force in the country’s development. The curriculum is more practical and flexible to meet the challenges of the IR 4.0,” he said.
As the primary professional body for TVET, he said MBOT prepares TVET graduates as technologists and technicians that are readily accepted not just in the local but also the global industry.
“We are establishing our footing in the international arena with other countries via bilateral or multilateral cooperation.
“To date, we have been accepted as provisional signatory for Seoul Accord (multilateral co-accreditation agreement for Information & Computing Technology programmes). MBOT has also taken a proactive step in proposing to pioneer the establishment of APEC Technologists and Technicians Register (ATTR) which is anticipated to be launched next year when Malaysia hosts APEC 2020,” he said.
Comment: It’s not just BTech that DVM/DKM/DLKM graduates can pursue, they can also consider EBIM (Executive Bachelor in Industrial Management), an URise bridging program by Universiti Tun Abdul Razak where Technical Leadership and Industrial Revolution 4.0 are the core learning outcomes.
Executive Bachelor in Industrial Management (EBIM), specializing in Leadership, enable skilled personnel to excel into managerial positions with enhancements in managerial core abilities. The course covers the learning in soft-skills of leadership, managerial abilities, business communication and project management.
For SKM1&2 graduates, they are also not forgotten as their pathway would be to Professional Diploma in Industrial Management.
Truly understanding TVET candidates’ situation, SPM is not a pre-requisite, yay! Another exciting part about the program is that it’s a blended learning, means it’s conducted online and face to face classroom.
For more information, kindly email to thonghiwah@urise.edu.my or whatsapp/call 012-3123430.
