TVET Programs Aim at Upskilling Youths

Sabah created the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem in May 2025 to sustain, complement and strengthen its diverse potentials in natural resources, the oil and gas sector, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. TVET programs are aimed at producing highly skilled workforce that can meet the demands of rapidly developing industries in Sabah.

TVET initiatives and courses are aligned with current job market demands, thereby ensuring the employability of graduates and ensuring that Sabah youths are competitive in the job market and no longer trapped in the unemployment cycle. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said the establishment of the Sabah TVET Council was a significant paradigm shift in the state’s TVET development landscape.

“TVET must gain traction as the mainstream education choice to produce a skilled workforce,” he said on 9 July 2025 at the Sabah TVET Symposium at the Magellan Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu. TVET acts as a catalyst for the state’s economic growth.” His speech was read by Deputy Chief Minister II/Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Joachim Gunsalam.

Youths must consider TVET as a primary option, not merely an alternative, in planning their future, Hajiji said. The Chief Minister said that Sabah’s unemployment rate has decreased from 8.2 per cent in 2021 to 7.5 per cent in 2023. However, he said that 58.6 per cent of the unemployed in Sabah are youths aged between 15 years and 24 years, while 55.8 per cent of the total unemployed individuals have only completed secondary school education. “We need to train and upskill the youths to improve their employability,” Hajiji said. “Participants must seize the opportunity to establish networking between educational institutions and industry training during the two-day symposium.”