KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Higher Education is stepping up efforts to produce graduates who are not only prepared for the future but also equipped to become job creators, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the ministry aims to shift its focus from producing job seekers to entrepreneurs.
“It’s crucial that our graduates are equipped not just to find jobs, but to create them,” he said in response to a supplementary question from Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang).
Recognising the limited availability of jobs in both the public and private sectors, he said the ministry is placing strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and upskilling.
“Universities are now offering entrepreneurship before the graduate steps into the workforce, along with encouragement to pursue short courses that provide niche skills and add value to their degrees,” he said.
Earlier, Wan Fayhsal had asked about the ministry’s efforts to ensure the production of future-proof graduates who are also job creators.
In response to Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau), Mustapha said the ministry is addressing the employability gap between public and private universities.
“This is a concern we are actively addressing. We have upgraded the UPU (student intake system) to allow students to select courses based on high employability trends,” he said.
At the ministry level, he said academic approval goes through two stages: a preliminary screening and the Higher Education Committee meeting.
He said the ministry involves multiple panels in curriculum screening, including agencies such as TalentCorp, the Public Service Department, the Economic Planning Unit, SOCSO, MIDA, the Statistics Department, MDEC and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
“These collaborations aim to ensure that public institutions can compete more effectively in terms of graduate marketability,” he said.
Earlier, Bakhtiar noted that only one public university, Universiti Malaya, was ranked for graduate employability in the QS rankings, alongside private institutions such as Taylor’s University, UCSI, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman and Management and Science University.
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