• 2025-07-23 04:04 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has introduced the Code of Practice for Programme Accreditation (COPPA) to serve as a benchmark for designing academic programmes that align with current job market requirements.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud stated that COPPA mandates higher education institutions to conduct market demand and graduate employability analyses before approving new programmes.

“For programmes regulated by professional bodies, their introduction must also comply with criteria set by the Joint Technical Committee to ensure adherence to the Malaysian Qualifications Framework.

“Once launched, these programmes undergo periodic reviews and evaluations to ensure continuous improvement,” he said during the Dewan Rakyat session.

The initiative addresses concerns raised by Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH–Tebrau) regarding the mismatch between university courses and job market demands, which has forced graduates into unrelated fields with lower wages.

Mustapha added that MoHE collaborates with key agencies, including the Human Resources Ministry, PERKESO, Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, and LinkedIn Malaysia, to better address workforce needs.

Additional initiatives like CEO@Faculty, CEO@PolyCC, Industry on Campus, and the Structured Internship Programme further bridge the gap between academia and industry expectations. – Bernama