PUTRAJAYA, April 23 — The government is intensifying efforts to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the agricultural sector through cross-ministerial programme coordination to ensure more structured, integrated and high-impact implementation, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the initiative, led by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (MAFS) with the support of the National TVET Council, reflects a whole-of-government approach in developing future talent and strengthening the country’s food security.
Zahid, who is also National TVET Council chairman, said the move was made through the organisation of the Agricultural TVET Empowerment Workshop on April 20 to 21 in Kuala Lumpur, which brought together seven key ministries in the country’s TVET ecosystem.
“In this regard, the findings and recommendations from this workshop will be presented at the upcoming National TVET Council Meeting for consideration and policy decisions at the highest level,” he said in a statement today.
Zahid said the workshop gave focus to assessing current challenges in the agricultural sector, especially to attract youth to the field.
In addition, he said, focus was also given to identifying high-impact programmes and sustainable implementation models to ensure optimal returns to the country and the people.
Zahid said the training institutions’ capabilities would also be strengthened through improving the quality of teaching staff, modernising training facilities, and harmonising curricula based on industry needs.
He added that strategic collaboration with the industry would be expanded, including increasing training placement opportunities, graduate employability and agropreneur development as a catalyst for the transformation of the agricultural sector to be more innovative and competitive.
“The government realises the agricultural sector must undergo a comprehensive transformation by using technology, innovation and training approaches that are more responsive to industry needs,” he said.
Zahid said he is confident that the more coordinated approach would be able to increase the effectiveness of the agricultural TVET programme and attract more youth to join the sector as a viable career, thus improving the image and attractiveness of agricultural TVET.
