From Mohd Yusof Saari
TIANJIN (China), Oct 16 (Bernama) -- The government intends to bring China’s leading skills training model, Luban Workshop, to Malaysia to enhance the capabilities of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) instructors, especially in producing a skilled workforce in rural areas.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the initiative offers a training approach that enables technical expertise to be transferred directly to local lecturers and instructors without the need to send students to China.
He said Luban Workshop not only provides training, but also offers free equipment and the latest teaching modules to help enhance the capabilities of local TVET institutions.
“As I proposed in my speech, Luban Workshop is to be invited to establish its programme in Malaysia, especially in rural areas where a skilled technical workforce needs to be trained.
“This is an approach where they come here, rather than us sending students overseas. So, more local instructors and lecturers will benefit when they come to our country,” he told a media conference after presenting his keynote address at the World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference 2026 (WVTEDC 2026) at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre here today.
Ahmad Zahid said in addition to hoping that the initiative could be expanded to rural areas to meet the needs of the job market, the collaboration could also strengthen the country’s TVET ecosystem through exposure to advanced technologies, such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and information systems.
He said Malaysia must take advantage of China’s experience in developing skills in education and training to ensure that local instructors continued to gain exposure to the latest technological developments.
He added that regional countries such as Thailand and Indonesia had already benefited significantly from implementing the Luban Workshop initiative, and that Malaysia should seize similar opportunities.
“Cooperation with China, especially through the Luban Workshop initiative, has the potential to strengthen the development of teaching staff and expand access to technical skills training, especially among youths in rural areas, thereby helping to provide a workforce that meets the needs of the job market,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid, who chairs the National TVET Council, said TVET had the potential to be the main catalyst for Malaysia’s efforts to meet its target of producing 60,000 engineers or highly skilled workers for the semiconductor sector by 2030.
The Deputy Prime Minister said an approach through the TVET ecosystem was needed to complement the conventional academic education system to achieve the target.
He said Malaysia has six universities under the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN), but relying solely on the conventional academic approach posed challenges in meeting the demand for skilled workers within the stipulated timeframe.
“Through the TVET education ecosystem, I believe the target of producing 60,000 engineers or at least qualified skilled workers can be achieved through Malaysia’s new education ecosystem,” he added.
-- BERNAMA