TVET to Produce Skilled and Competitive Workforce

For 2026, the State Government has allocated RM39.24 million for human capital development programmes, and especially Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); innovation and digital technology; and oil and gas.

The oil and gas, tourism and trade are among the major drivers of Sabah’s economy. Therefore, the government wants TVET to be strengthened to produce a skilled and competitive workforce for the oil and gas industry job market. Institutions of higher learning and skills training centres must offer more courses and programmes related to the demanding industries. “TVET is no longer an alternative, but it is a mainstream choice.”

“We now have language courses and training; Information and Communications Technology (ICT); hospitality, safety and health; agriculture; and training in the oil palm plantation sector,” Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said during the MYFutureJobs X Oil & Gas Kota Kinabalu 2026 Career Carnival on 22 August 2026 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Kota Kinabalu

For Sabah, the construction sector recorded the highest growth, at 28.3 per cent, followed by manufacturing, 5.0 per cent, mining and quarrying, 4.9 per cent and services, 4.5 per cent. Sabah’s labour market has shown improving trends, with the State having about 1.90 million people in the labour force in the second quarter of 2026, of whom 1.23 million were employed, while about 106,600 were unemployed. The career carnival saw 30 employers offering 3,000 job opportunities. The carnival is also expected to spur the interest of job seekers – and especially the youths - in the oil and gas industry.

Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, Deputy Chief Minister II cum Finance Minister, delivered the CM’s speech.