PUTRAJAYA: Increasing the proficiency of tahfiz students in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to indirectly encourage them to choose it as their main career pathway was among the four resolutions presented at the Bumiputera Economic Congress 2024 held here today.

Chairman of the TVET as Career of Choice Group, Datuk Shamsuddin Amran, the number of tahfiz graduates is increasing because more parents are interested in sending their children to tahfiz centres. However, after completing their studies, not many of them choose TVET.

“We see among the factors causing tahfiz graduates not interested in entering this field because of the mindset of parents and school directors not to get involved in TVET programmes and focus solely on memorisation.

“In addition, the curriculum development system in tahfiz institutions which only focuses on teaching and memorising without clear educational and career pathways for tahfiz TVET graduates is also a reason why not many want to get involved in TVET,“ he said.

Therefore, Shamsuddin, who is also the head of operations at the Bermaz Auto Bhd Group, said that among the things proposed to the government to encourage tahfiz graduates to choose TVET as their main career pathway included creating a new branding for careers in tahfiz TVET called ‘technofaz’ and improving the ecosystem of tahfiz TVET implementation more comprehensively.

“To produce skilled huffaz or tahfiz TVET graduates, various initiatives should be intensified to improve the quality and maintain the relevance of TVET, especially for students who have the advantage of memorising and appreciating the Qur’an and have technical skills that suit the needs of the industry, the job market and become a main career choice.

“These initiatives also serve to build the character development of tahfiz students while producing professional and skilled tahfiz graduates,“ he said.

He said that tahfiz graduates who had skills certificates were preferred by the industry because they were highly equipped with soft skills as well technical skills.

Meanwhile, the other three resolutions presented by Shamsuddin at KEB 2024 were to enhance the professionalism and competence of Bumiputera workforce based on TVET; increase Bumiputera participation in high-skilled and high-income careers; and boost the development of Bumiputera technopreneurs. -Bernama