KUALA LUMPUR: The increased allocation of RM7.9 billion for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes in Budget 2026 demonstrates the government’s commitment to strengthening the high-skilled workforce, particularly from rural areas.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Chairman of the National TVET Council, said the allocation is distributed among 12 ministries involved in providing the TVET ecosystem.
He stated that RM1.3 billion has been allocated to vocational schools and colleges under the Ministry of Education.
“Overall, there are 439,000 students studying at 1,398 TVET institutions nationwide involving the Federal Government, state governments and the private sector,” he said when appearing as a guest on the Ruang Bicara: Merealisasikan Belanjawan 2026 programme produced by Bernama TV.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling Budget 2026 on October 10, announced an allocation of RM7.9 billion for TVET compared to RM7.5 billion previously, aimed at training more local talents to meet the needs of high-growth industries.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said current trends show 54.3% of secondary school leavers now choose to continue their studies in the TVET field.
He also dismissed perceptions that TVET graduates face difficulty finding employment, stating that the employability rate for graduates in this field at the national level has now reached 95.1%.
“For institutions under MARA, the employability rate is 98.7% while CIDB achieves 100%. The starting salary of TVET graduates is also higher, around RM2,500 compared to the average RM1,700 for regular academic graduates,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said demand for skilled workers is increasing in line with the needs of foreign and local investors focusing on high-technology sectors.
He added that the government is now expanding TVET access to tahfiz and pondok students to give them the opportunity to join skills training under the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Level 3 to Level 5.
Students who achieve SKM Level 5, according to him, are eligible to further their studies at technical universities such as those in the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN), with their starting salary in the job market potentially reaching around RM3,500.
Ahmad Zahid emphasised that tahfiz students have the advantage of high memory capacity and discipline, making them important assets in technical fields.
“At Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) which focuses on the aerospace sector, tahfiz students have shown exceptional performance in the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) of aircraft,” he said.
He said similar success has also been shown by the maritime faculty under UniKL which produces high-potential TVET students with better job prospects compared to graduates from other institutions. – Bernama
