MALAYSIA has implemented five intervention initiatives to address the declining marketability of graduates during the Covid-19 period.

The Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) said the five initiatives are the MoHE-Career Advancement Programme (MoHE-CAP) reskilling and upskilling programme; Teaching Factory programme; Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Transformation Programme; flexible and micro-credential programmes; as well as mobility programmes.

It said these five initiatives were mentioned by MoHE Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad when speaking at the Education World Forum (EWF) in London last Tuesday.

Noraini said based on the graduate tracer study, the marketability of Malaysian graduates in 2020 dropped by 1.8% to 84.4% compared to 86.2% in 2019 and this was attributed to the pandemic.

“As a strategic reaction to avoid further drop, MoHE implemented several intervention initiatives to increase the marketability rate of graduates by 1.1% to 85.5% by 2021,” she said.

On the National Economic Recovery Plan, or Penjana MoHE-CAP, Noraini said the government had allocated RM150 million for the upskilling and reskilling programme which had benefited 20,000 graduates.

Through this, participating companies guaranteed employment for participants at least 12 months after completing the programme.

With the Teaching Factory programme, graduates are ensured to meet current demand and the job market.

The programme was currently conducted by four public universities specialising in technical and high technology, as well as practical-oriented.

These universities work with industry players to assist the teaching and learning process, training and services in related fields.

Meanwhile, the TVET transformation was implemented through the establishment of the National TVET Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“The role of the council is to advise the government on the current and future talents required by industries, as well as the technologies that need to be focused on at the university,” Noraini said, adding that all the programmes were implemented to ensure the quality of higher education and the marketability rate of graduates.

The EWF is an international ministerial forum organised annually in London since 2002 and acts as a platform for discussion and sharing of views, experiences, policies, strategies and directions for educational development as well as key and current issues in education globally. — Bernama