MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the current TVET system is bogged down by the multiple overlapping mandates and jurisdictions of ministries and agencies.

“Do away with the prevailing bureaucratic red tape for employers to avail themselves to the tax incentives for providing internships,” he said in a statement today.

Doing so would encourage more micro and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to provide internships to students requiring industrial training.

Syed Hussain said there was a need for industries to be actively engaged in the development of the TVET curriculum, delivery methods and evaluation.

“This is so that youths are fully work-ready upon graduation and there is no need for further training or retraining,” he said.

He said academic staff should be given more sabbatical leave to pursue training to further improve their knowledge and have first-hand information on the latest developments and needs of the industries.

Only then can TVET education be made more relevant and responsive to the needs of the labour market.

Syed Hussain said TVET should be made mainstream to get better buy-in from parents.

To this end, he said, the diplomas and degrees conferred on TVET graduates should be fully recognised by the government and industries.