No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Register
Business & Technology
SUBSCRIBE
  • .
  • Thought Leadership
  • Conversations
  • International Voices
  • News
  • Wealth
  • Digital Transformation
  • Lifestyle
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • .
  • Thought Leadership
  • Conversations
  • International Voices
  • News
  • Wealth
  • Digital Transformation
  • Lifestyle
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
Biztech Asia
Home Thought Leadership

Never underestimate TVET and STEM in producing skilled talents

by editorial
03/09/20
in Thought Leadership
4 min read
0
Never underestimate TVET and STEM in producing skilled talents

By Sofea Azahar, Research Analyst at EMIR Research, a think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research

In the journey of embarking digitalisation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to beef up the skills of our local talents in order to reduce the risk of being displaced by automation and that is by providing them with the suitable education.

According to McKinsey & Company, approximately 50 percent of the work time in Malaysia is spent on routine activities which are likely to be automated – payroll officers, transaction processors (72 percent), legal support workers, mortgage originators (71 percent), and production workers and machine operators (71 percent).

The company also estimates that automation can displace up to 25 percent of the hours and this is equivalent to 4.5 million workers in the country by 2030.

On the positive side, McKinsey also noted automation can create new opportunities due to factors such as rising incomes, higher spending on education, ageing population that will make way for creation of new occupations, increased spending on infrastructure, and increased investments in technology.

So, automation and jobs are not mutually exclusive.

However, this automation-driven labour demand comes together with the requirement of talents equipped with advanced skillsets in driving the innovation. Hence, the workforce needs an upgrade in order to narrow the skill gap and for them to move up the high-skill value chain.

But the important question to begin with is how skilled are Malaysian workers? The breakdown by skill levels are as follows:

  • Low-skilled: 1,862,500 persons (12.4 percent);
  • Semi-skilled: 9,059,000 persons (60.1 percent); and
  • High-skilled: 4,151,900 persons (5 percent).

So, in total, the share of low- to semi-skilled workers accounts for 72.5 percent, higher than the share of high-skilled workers.

Let’s take a step backward and assess the education levels of Malaysians to embrace the digitalisation journey. How is it doing?

Of the total employment, workers with secondary education hold the largest share at 55.6 percent, followed by those with tertiary education (29.4 percent), primary (12.1 percent) and no formal education (2.9 percent).

Another indicator that can be looked into is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores of 15-year-old students released by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

For Mathematics and Science subjects, the PISA scores are below OECD average at 440 and 438 respectively. These are far behind students’ scores in the more advance economies such as Singapore, Japan, Korea, and even China.

Furthermore, the Malay Mail reported that the share of students choosing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in schools dropped to 44 percent in 2018 from 48 percent in 2012.

In the higher education institutions (IPTs), the number of students who enrolled in courses related to Science, Maths, Computer, Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction in 2017 was lower compared with enrolment in art courses because they want to opt for easier subjects and they do not place high values in science subject.

Even the SMEs noted that skilled digital talent is one of the main components to drive digital transition in terms of, say, the redesigning of business processes, but sluggish digital adoption is a result of the gap in digital skills among the employees, according to SME Corp-Huawei Survey Report.

Ameen Kamal’s article on “Does Malaysia have enough talents to be a high-tech nation” gave a deeper analysis of this issue.

So, in realising the digital transformation vision or the envisioned Malaysia 5.0 – a problem-solving approach to society’s challenges and problems through the deployment and implementation of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies – what can be done to address the skill gap challenge?

Above all, it needs to start from the education delivered to the students at schools and universities with a strong foundation, then it will be relatively easier for the future workforce in terms of getting employed and for them to adapt in the booming sectors post Covid-19.

Therefore, the enrolment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes offered by the Education Ministry, Youth and Sports Ministry and MARA TVET institutions should be actively promoted and be placed in the mainstream education amongst the secondary-school leavers as the courses offered are very much related to technology.

To encourage participation, a change in mindset needs to be undertaken extensively by changing the social perceptions toward TVET as a less prestigious choice of study to one that sees it as a valuable platform to generate a high-skilled labour force for the nation.

A good yardstick to measure whether these efforts at changing mindset is successful is when employers are happy with the good performance of these high-skilled TVET graduates that they will happily retain them by giving these graduates a good pay rise, which in turn will help raise the starting salary of TVET fresh graduates in the future.

Alongside TVET, a similar approach of mindset change needs to be pursued for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning, in line with the objectives of the Education Blueprint (2013-2025) in order to tackle lack of students’ preferences for these subjects.

As advocated by Bill Gates, “Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event.”

So, these are the education-oriented measures which are the key drivers in producing high-skilled talents and one of the major walls that we have to break through to get to the vision of  Malaysia 5.0, while realising one of the targets of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030) – 35 per cent of high-skilled workers.

Previous Post

CEOs’ business confidence has shaken in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis

Next Post

MOSTI launches RM10 million SIM grant to elevate social enterprise recovery

editorial

editorial

Related Posts

Are bad PCR practices churning out false positive Covid-19 cases?
Thought Leadership

A vaccination race between nations can have no winners

The Big Picture: Boats afloat
Thought Leadership

The Big Picture: Boats afloat

Comprehensive measures required to win Malaysia’s pandemic war
Thought Leadership

Comprehensive measures required to win Malaysia’s pandemic war

IKEA fits in a world that wants to buy less, says Ingka Group’s CEO
Thought Leadership

IKEA fits in a world that wants to buy less, says Ingka Group’s CEO

The how of adopting blockchain route for the halal meat industry
Thought Leadership

The how of adopting blockchain route for the halal meat industry

How to build more resilient countries after the COVID-19 pandemic
Thought Leadership

How to build more resilient countries after the COVID-19 pandemic

Next Post
MOSTI launches RM10 million SIM grant to elevate social enterprise recovery

MOSTI launches RM10 million SIM grant to elevate social enterprise recovery

Is it time to consider collecting household waste with a dedicated collection system?

Is it time to consider collecting household waste with a dedicated collection system?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recommended Stories

Health and social care to gain the most from 5G productivity and efficiency gains, will add US$1.3trillion to global GDP by 2030

Health and social care to gain the most from 5G productivity and efficiency gains, will add US$1.3trillion to global GDP by 2030

Ray Dalio to set up family office in Singapore

Ray Dalio to set up family office in Singapore

Petronas leads 5G technology tests to strengthen the national oil and gas industry

Petronas leads 5G technology tests to strengthen the national oil and gas industry

Popular Stories

  • Economic recovery: an elusive thought?

    Economic recovery: an elusive thought?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Cannibalising your business can be profitable

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sexual fulfillment builds confidence and well-being

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Tech Stocks – Ant gets stomped on but REITS offer stability amid volatility

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Singapore REITS and China tech stocks – Which should you buy?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

About Us

A Business and Technology digital publication that engages business leaders in business and technology conversations to help everyone pivot, adapt, and thrive in these turbulent times.

LEARN MORE »

Contact Us

Phone: 016-2011 050

Email: editor@biztech.asia

Address:
Level 18, Boutique Office 1 (B01-C)
Menara 2, No. 3, Jalan Bangsar,
KL Eco City, 59200, Kuala Lumpur.

Email Newsletter

Loading

© 2020 Business & Technology - made possible by Milestones Digital.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Thought Leadership
  • Conversations
  • International Voices
  • News
  • Wealth
  • Digital Transformation
  • Lifestyle
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2020 Business & Technology - made possible by Milestones Digital.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
OR

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.