Local (IPT) higher education institutions are advised to offer interesting programmes to produce graduates who desirable to employers and the industry. Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), Prof. Datuk Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran said that technological change is happening very fast, therefore HEIs need to be aware of the situation by offering something that is most attractive to students and industry. He said, the graduates produced are always looked forward to or become the desire of employers. “IPT needs to be aggressive, creative and proactive in offering programmes by doing the latest market research regularly, especially in fields that require a lot of local and global workforce. “ At MQA, we always encourage the offering of new programmes from HEIs, in addition to allowing adjustments with the aim of improving existing programmes by up to 30 percent. “If the flexibility given by this MQA ( adjustment of 30 percent) is utilized as best as possible by IPT, surely the programme offered is always a dream and look attractive in the eyes of employers and its graduates become their fugitives,” said. Commenting further, Mohammad Shatar said that employers' expectations and job market requirements change almost every year, even months in some industries. He said, the employer's wishes have changed compared to 10 to 15 years ago, for example today the response to the technical skills programme is very significant and critical. “ In addition, another offering that is no less interesting is the work-based learning programme or ‘work-based learning’ (WBL) either partially, comprehensively or even a programme that is ‘apprentice’. The existing “WBL ensures that students get enough learning and training from the industry involved, around 60 percent of their total time, while the other 40 percent can be spent in lectures,” said. Mohammad Shatar said, his party does not want HEIs to only offer programmes because they follow conventional programme offerings, whereas the programme is no longer needed by employers and industry. “ We do not want this culture to continue because there will be waste and not only involving financial implications, but also the human resources used to implement the programme, but still not well received in the job market. “ This action will also hinder the wishes of the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir who wants to make Malaysia a global education hub, therefore it needs to be avoided because talent in HEIs needs to be managed optimally,” said.

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Date of Input: 22/09/2024 | Updated: 25/09/2024 | aidawati