Prioritising skills training

Technical and skills training is no longer second class education as those with skills are more attractive to employers.

The effort to educate and change parents' perception towards technical and skill training is showing positive results. Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching said at the launch of the 2016 Sabah TVET (Technical Vocational Education and Training) Career Carnival that people no longer look at technical skills and training as second class education.

Additionally, in a recent interview with the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, said that TVET graduates are employed at a rate of 97.4% and the rate among polytechnic graduates is at 80% within 6 month after graduation.

The high rate of employability of TVET and polytechnic graduates is a testimony to the importance of this branch of education and shows that it is equally, if not more, important to other forms of higher learning.

Authorities plan to intensify the efforts to raise awareness among parents and students on the availability of various opportunities within the technical vocational education and training and the future possibilities that may lay ahead.

Datuk Mary also spoke about the quality of TVET and polytechnic institutions in Sabah where some of these institutions had gained world recognition by earning international awards and win national and international competitions in various fields including awards in tourism and hospitality.