KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — The Human Resource Ministry is ready to take responsibility for managing and restructuring programmes related to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country.
Its Minister, V. Sivakumar said the move was in line with the aspiration that the programme could be branded and, thus, raise the image of TVET in the future.
“We see there are currently 12 ministries involved with TVET education and it is coordinated by National TVET Council chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“There are suggestions, including from the Youth and Sports Ministry, for the TVET programme to be placed under another ministry. If anyone wants it to be placed under the Human Resource Ministry, we are willing to consider it.”
Sivakumar was speaking to reporters after attending the pre-launch of the Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH 2023) and the Scientific Conference on Occupational Safety and Health (SCICOSH 2023) today.
He said this when asked to comment on Ahmad Zahid’s statement regarding the proposal to place the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) under the Human Resource Ministry.
So far, there are 22 IKBN nationwide which aim to train youths to acquire technical skills and be able to work with the private sector or be self-employed.
Meanwhile, Sivakumar called on industry and employers to prepare from a health and safety perspective for the changes that will occur in the workplace due to the impact of workplace megatrends.
He said this was because jobs in the future will be more focused on technology usage, that is likely to take over human functions that will affect not only the physical aspect but also the mental.
“Experts believe that the existence of the megatrend is due to several factors, including climate change, technological revolution, demographic change due to global ageing, the urbanisation process, geopolitical instability and increased awareness about mental health, human rights and the environment,” he said.
