KUALA LUMPUR: A session involving various parties needs to be held before the government makes any drastic decisions to implement the premium salary standard for graduates of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at a rate of RM4,000.
Malaysia Skilled Foundation president Datuk P Sri Ganes said it is to determine the pros and cons while ensuring a win-win situation for all parties involved.
He said the advantage of this is that TVET will be seen as a programme or pathway of choice for young people.
"However, in terms of implementation, it will burden the industry if the graduates do not qualify for such salaries.
"When we encourage the industry to pay premium salaries, the industry's expectation is that the employee is capable of meeting the standards of the given salary," he said.
He commented on reports that the government is considering setting a premium salary for TVET graduates at RM4,000 and above as an effort to recognise the students in this field.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it is being improved through the framework of the National TVET Policy to be launched on June 2.
Ganes said that the equipment at government training institutions also needs to be improved by the government to produce highly skilled workers in the latest technology.
"But this improvement also requires skilled labour expertise.
"As I have suggested before, cooperation between private companies and industries through public-private partnerships will ensure the mission to achieve the RM4,000 premium salary standard for TVET graduates can be achieved in the near future.
"Without industry encouragement, TVET cannot be fully implemented with high impact with designations such as RM4,000 premium salaries and so on," he said.
