Vocational studies now offer more job prospects
Published on: Monday, September 26, 2022
Zainab presenting gifts to the recipient of the 2021/2022 Session 1 Director’s Award, Stephenie Stephen (second left) together with her mother.
SANDAKAN: Society needs to change the perception that technical and vocational education is second class education.Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Senator Dato Dr. Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad said this was technical and vocational field is the most desirable field in the country at the moment.
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“When the country recovered from the threat of Covid, we have moved from a pandemic to an endemic, then all industrial sectors and so on were open to everyone.
“In this regard, the fastest and strongest growing sectors are those related to courses offered at polytechnics and community colleges.
“Therefore, all communities need to play a role in supporting the technical and vocational education agenda in this country.
“It means from all those levels, we need a perfect system where at the ministry level, we will try our best to develop the best policies for the purpose of technical and vocational education.
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“While at the community level, schools and community leaders need to provide knowledge and exposure to students to attract interest in joining technical and vocational fields,” he said.
Ahmad Masrizal also said that the government had a clear agenda on technical and vocational education to ensure that the country reaches 35 percent of highly skilled workers by 2030.
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“We will ensure that all conditions at polytechnics and community colleges are in the best condition, from the perspective of lecturers’ ability, infrastructure facilities and so on in producing high quality graduates,” he explained.
He said this when met by the media after attending the 9th Sabah Sandakan Polytechnic Convocation Ceremony at the Sandakan Sports Complex Hall on Saturday.
Also present were Director General of the Department of Polytechnic Education and Community College, Ts. Zainab Ahmad, Sandakan Polytechnic Director, Mohd Faddilah Mohd Yusoh and Sandakan Polytechnic Deputy Academic Director, Irwandih Mat Jaili.
A total of 402 graduates for the Agrotechnology Diploma and Aquaculture Diploma programs June 2020 Session, December 2020 Session and Session 1 2021/2022 were celebrated in the ceremony.
For the record, a total of 103 courses are offered at polytechnics and community colleges nationwide, Ahmad Masrizal said, adding courses in the future would be based on current developments.
Meanwhile, he also hoped that the collaboration between the polytechnic and industry would be intensified for the time to come through various forms of collaborative programmes and initiatives in increasing the marketability rate of technical and vocational graduates.
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