KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) will continue to empower Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Sports as an effort to produce more skilled workers in the country’s sports industry.
To realise the aspiration, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said KBS will transform the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) in Kuala Langat into the National Sports Skills Institute (IKSN) next year to provide the necessary education and upskilling in the field of sports technology in Malaysia.
Hannah said among the programmes that can attract attention in Sports TVET education at IKSN are in the field of construction and maintenance of sports facilities, sports motoring and sports photography.
“We need time (to introduce TVET Sports) but it is a good start. Even though we want to try it now, we have to make sure that the instructors are ready,“ she said after attending the Sports TVET Engagement Session in conjunction with the Skills Symposium of the Institute of Youth and Sports Skills Training (ILKBS) 2024 (SKIL’24) near Puchong, today.
Hannah said the introduction of Sports TVET could also reduce the country’s dependence on foreign expertise and help reduce number of foreign workers in the sports industry.
Hannah had earlier said Sports TVET will be more sports-related: “... for example, we have already offered skills in sports massage, golf caddying... So, we are exploring all sports science-related TVET programmes to ensure that the direction is focused.”
She said the reduction of the foreign workforce at sports facilities is also seen as able to reduce the cost of workers’ wages, thus ensuring that the price of access to sports remains affordable and does not burden fans.
On today’s engagement session, which was also attended by KBS secretary-general Dr K. Nagulendran, Hannah said it was aimed at gathering feedback from stakeholders comprising the industry, sports associations and lead agencies to ensure that the planned Sports TVET is in line with the needs of the industry.
She said the ministry is focusing on empowering youth with skills that can provide income, such as the KLAS Renang programme which provides free swimming lessons for B40 youths and a career for former swimmers.
