Unleashing TVET’s full potential at GMI’s Industry Advisory Council Summit

The German-Malaysian Institute’s (GMI) inaugural Industry Advisory Council (IAC) Summit that recently took place saw key stakeholders, industry leaders and policymakers congregating to discuss the future of Malaysia’s Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) landscape.

Themed “Malaysian Landscape: Towards Professional TVET”, the IAC Summit was the perfect platform for experts and relevant agencies to engage in discussions as well as knowledge-sharing ahead of the National TVET Blueprint which is slated to be announced in June 2024.

Highlights of the Summit included an overview of Malaysia’s current TVET scene, a dialogue on industry-specific needs and expectations, recommendations on how existing and future policies can be augmented to bring the quality of TVET programmes to the next level and collaboration opportunities as well as benefits between industries and educational institutions.

In her speech, MGCC Interim Executive Director Dr Eva Langerbeck provided a brief presentation on the success of TVET in Germany by taking participants on a journey illustrating the roots of German dual vocational training (GDVT) and the factors that made the programme so successful.

The Chamber has been advocating for GDVT in Malaysia for the past decade by adopting a 70% practical and 30% theoretical approach that aims to provide young Malaysian graduates with on-the-job training and employment.

“MGCC has been a strong advocate and driver of German dual vocational training in Malaysia since 2014 when we successfully implemented dual vocational training with standards made in Germany in this country.

“The system of dual vocational training is a success story for Germany's commercial economy and offers companies a well-trained workforce with extensive practical, theoretical and personal skills,” Langerbeck said in her speech.

A dialogue session moderated by MGCC Head of GDVT Michelle Abu Bakar featured a panel comprised of Managing Director of Bosch Malaysia Klaus Landhaeusser, Group Chief Strategy Officer of Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) Nazrul Aziz and GMI CEO Solihin Yusoff.

The hour-long session saw a robust conversation that discussed ways to promote innovation, close the skills gap to reinforce the employability of Malaysian graduates, and improve the relevance and quality of TVET programmes whilst providing beneficial input for Malaysia’s TVET blueprint.

The Summit also featured a facility tour of the GMI campus in Kajang where guests including staff from MGCC were given a close-up look at the technology employed across various areas including the Cyber Security Lab and the Electric Vehicle (EV) Lab which both play a crucial role within the broader framework of ESG.

The highlight of the event for MGCC was Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also chairs the National TVET Council, inviting Germany as the first nation to sit on the Council. This marks a major step forward following his announcement in October 2023 that MGCC will lead the coordination of German companies in Malaysia as part of the government’s knowledge-sharing initiative with the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK).

Zahid told reporters during the event that he had previously announced in Parliament that 238 agreements on hiring TVET graduates with a “premium” salary had been signed. In addition, 10,000 agreements between the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers members and the higher education ministry. He also said more than 10,200 companies agreed to conduct TVET education and supplement their organisations with TVET graduates.

In addition to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Summit was attended by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Malaysia Dr Peter Blomeyer, Chairman of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and Director-General of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat Azhar Abdul Manaf.

The Summit concluded with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between GMI, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), and GIATMARA with their respective industries to signal a collaboration commitment to advance Malaysia’s TVET sector.