Malaysians have long believed in acquiring tertiary qualifications to secure a stable and worthwhile career.

However, a recent survey by the Department of Statistics suggests that this sentiment has changed significantly in recent years.

Up to 72% of SPM school-leavers would rather enter the workforce immediately as online influencers, e-hailing car drivers, or food delivery riders than pursue further education.

Today’s school-leavers are prioritising basic necessities like food and rent over tertiary education due to rising living costs.

However, those who forgo higher education may actually leave themselves financially vulnerable in the long term without sustainable and secure career options that would be open to them should they have the technical skills and knowledge acquired through formal qualifications.

A continuation of this trend will cause Malaysia to suffer a notable decline in the proportion of highly-skilled workers within our workforce.

This could in turn cause Malaysia to lose out on global competitiveness across a number of industries when compared to our Southeast Asian brethren, thus worsening Malaysia’s long-term economic prospects.

Leading Malaysia’s transition into online learning

Open University Malaysia (OUM) recognises the unique circumstances Malaysian youths currently find themselves in.

However, President/Vice-Chancellor Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang cautions that choosing quick fixes to overcome financial woes would only be good for the short term.

“The future is uncertain; jobs involving food delivery, e-hailing, or social media may be trendy now but this would not last forever,” he says.

“What’s important is for Malaysian youths to prepare themselves for the unpredictable times ahead. There will be new opportunities in the future, surely, so they will need to have the right qualifications now so they can have gainful careers when the time comes.”

With 22 years of online education expertise as the premier open and distance learning (ODL) institution in Malaysia, OUM strives to make tertiary education more convenient and flexible for everyone.

With fully online programmes, OUM allows working individuals an opportunity to gain tertiary qualifications without sacrificing their day jobs.

Its programmes are carefully crafted to facilitate online learner-teacher interaction and peer discussions in a convenient and intuitive way.

Organised through the university’s e-learning platform, myINSPIRE, synchronous e-lessons, e-tutorials and interactive online forums allow learners to ask questions and share their thoughts on the course material.

Anyone between the ages of 17 and 20 can enrol in a diploma programme, a strong consideration for gig workers as it requires only 90 credit hours in comparison to 120 credit hours required for a bachelor’s degree.

“This leaves them with more time to earn a living in the gig economy while also earning a recognised diploma in as little time as just over three years,” he adds.

Izanee, who began helming OUM early this year, also believes that alternative enrolment pathways and credit exemption options can also make a difference for many Malaysian youths.

For those over 21 years of age who have been in the workforce for some time, this means leveraging the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (or APEL).

More specifically, APEL-A and APEL-C enable people to enrol into an academic programme through work-acquired skills and apply for up to 30% credit exemption, respectively.

There is also APEL-Q, which allows individuals to bypass studying altogether and obtain a fully accredited academic qualification upon proper evaluation of their work experiences. OUM is one of only six institutions currently licensed to offer APEL-Q in Malaysia.

With intuitive and flexible systems in place, studying with OUM empowers learners with a sustainable pathway to continue their education while earning a living, allowing them to build a bright and successful future for both themselves and Malaysia.

For information on OUM programmes, call the speed line at 03-7801 2000, e-mail [email protected] or visit their website.

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