SHAH ALAM, Sept 1 — The Selangor government aims to establish a standardised training and certification framework for caregivers within a year to improve service quality and safety across the care sector.
State executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Saari noted that Malaysia currently lacks a consolidated certification system from a single authorised body for caregivers.
“We have more work to do to ensure caregivers register and undergo training through one authorised body,” she said, as reported by The Star.
To address the issue, Anfaal said the state government is partnering with international non-profit organisation The Asia Foundation to map existing training modules and address skills gaps.
The pilot testing will be conducted once the module is fully developed and adopted by Universiti Selangor (UNISEL) as a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) course.
“Once the module is fully developed, we have to conduct pilot testing. UNISEL will then adopt the module and offer it as a TVET course for caregivers.”
Anfaal said that while Selangor's 12 local councils have standardised licensing procedures for care facilities, regulations must maintain safety standards without overburdening providers.
“We do not want the requirements to be so stringent that operators find governance matters restrictive, but we have to continue improving the system,” she was quoted as saying.
Anfaal said the plan will be featured at the Selangor International Care Expo (SICE), which will be held in conjunction with the Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) 2026, from October 15 to 17 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The event has expanded into an expo format focusing on commercial potential, practical demonstrations and investments across key life stages including postpartum, childcare, disability, active ageing and palliative long term care.
The state targets RM4.5 million in potential investments from SICE, doubling the RM2.25 million generated last year.
The expo targets 5,000 visitors, 40 brands and 160 business matching sessions over three days.
