KUALA LUMPUR: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates recorded a high marketability rate between 96 per cent to 97.9 per cent from 2023 to 2025, Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said.
She said the consistent achievement proved the effectiveness of Mara’s industry-based training approach, and was driven by various TVET empowerment programmes that stressed on industrial training, professional certification and strategic partnerships with major companies.
“Based on the study under the Higher Education Ministry, the marketability of Mara TVET graduates was 96.5 per cent in 2023, 97.9 per cent in 2024 and 96 per cent in 2025, exceeding that national target set,” she said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2026 at the committee level for the Rural and Regional Development Ministry at Dewan Rakyat today.
Initiatives conducted by Mara include Development for Ensuring Employability Programme, Industry Bootcamp and apprenticeships that guarantee employement, and curriculum adjustments via industry collaboration with Petronas, Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim), she said.
The ministry also improved rural TVET development, including at Orang Asli communities through short-term trainings and national-standard skill certificate programmes based on local industry needs, she said, while emphasis was also given to the B40 group, tahfiz students and gig workers to ensure inclusivity in rural TVET access.
“These skill programmes are based on industry needs and local economies so that graduates can find jobs easily, gain premium salaries comparable to their skills and raise the economy of local youth,” Rubiah said.
The Dewan Rakyat then approved the estimated management and development expenditure of RM12,401,611,100 allocated to the ministry under 2026 Budget with a majority of votes in agreement after being debated by 27 MPs.
The sitting resumes tomorrow.
– Bernama
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