Former Malacca chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam said that graduates could acquire skills and experience before they stepped out to seek employment or even to start their own business.

“It would be a waste of their education if they were left without any training to increase their marketability,” he said.

Mohd Ali, who is chairman of the national entrepreneur corporation, Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional, said government-linked companies should also plan effective programmes to assist the graduates.

Mohd Ali also hoped that the government could provide alternative housing loans for qualified applicants of affordables homes and the 1Malaysia People’s Housing Programme, as some still failed to get their loans approved from banks and other financial institutions.

The federal Budget for 2017 will be tabled at the Dewan Rakyat on Friday.