Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh said this increase was proof that local public universities could produce graduates of quality to meet the needs of the job market.
He said the introduction of the “Two Universities + Two Industries” (2u2i) programme which enabled students to study on campus for two years and intern with the industries for another two also contributed to the increase in their marketability.
“The marketability of graduates has increased in four years with 75.1% in 2014, going up by 1% each year to 76.1% (2015), 77.3% (2016) and 79.1% last year.”
Idris was speaking after the launching ceremony of the Trans Resources Corporation (TRC) Edu Center at Politeknik Ungku Omar here today.
The event was also attended by former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and wife, Jeanne Abdullah, who is a member of the TRC board of directors.
Others present were Deputy Higher Education Minister Mary Yap Kain Ching, Department of Polytechnic Education and Community Colleges director-general Prof Mohd Ismail Abd Aziz and TRC group managing director Sufri Mohd Zin.
The TRC Edu Center is an industry-academic centre. It the result of a collaboration between Politeknik Ungku Omar, Department of Polytechnic Education and Community Colleges and TRC to achieve the ministry’s mission of “Industry & Academia Are One”.
On the centre, Idris said TRC would take in 30 polytechnic students each year for five years to provide work-based learning, subsequently employing them after their studies.