By Pravin Periasamy
Malaysia’s youth unemployment rate is high at 10.8% and many graduates are jobless.
Employers often find these graduates underskilled and lacking crucial competencies for emerging technologies and industries in Malaysia.
Investments in smart city infrastructure, integration of artificial technology in digital services, and new IT services in finance require digital know-how. The rapid pace of these developments makes it hard for Malaysian university graduates to be future-proof at graduation. They often lack the necessary skillset.
Graduates are typically bound by their syllabus during their studies. Their curriculums are often outdated and take years to review and update. This leaves graduates with a skills mismatch, affecting their employability.
Educational reforms must bridge the skills gap by upskilling Malaysian talent quickly to keep pace with industrial development. While improving education quality through curriculum changes is important, it is a long-term solution.
The government should focus on current university students. These future graduates will feel the full impact of the skills gap without support to upskill. One policy option is to subsidise micro credentials for local students during their studies, especially for in-demand digital skills.
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Micro credentials are certified mini qualifications. They expose individuals to new skills through fast-paced, shorter learning curriculums.
Supporting accessible micro credentials has many benefits. It would allow students in outdated courses to quickly learn new skills. It can supplement local curriculums with current knowledge and enhance existing student skills.
Accessibility is key to this policy. Many local graduates struggle financially, often working part-time to support their education. So taking up micro credentials can be a financial burden. Lack of awareness about their benefits makes it harder for students to adopt these programmes.
The Malaysian government could create a subsidisation programme. This would make these courses free for university students through sustainable financing. It would require collaboration with Malaysian universities to introduce micro credential programmes.
To test this policy, the government should pilot these programmes in select universities. This would gather data on adoption rates.
The government should also incentivise industry players to help coordinate these programmes. This ensures the supplemental education aligns with employer expectations, quickly enhancing graduate employability.
Pravin Periasamy is the networking and partnership director of the Malaysian Philosophy Society.
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
