By MalayMail
PUTRAJAYA, July 24 — The employment rate of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates in agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) increased from 61 per cent in 2018 to 76 per cent in 2024, but is still below the national TVET average of 95 per cent.
The findings were contained in the Graduate Outcomes of Agricultural TVET in Malaysia report, which was presented at the presentation ceremony of the Agricultural TVET Study Report in Malaysia and KPKM Stakeholder Engagement Session on Food Security Aspects yesterday.
KPKM said the report, developed with PNB Research Institure (PNBRI), is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between both parties on September 9, 2025, aimed at strengthening agricultural TVET, raising awareness and encouraging youth participation in supporting the country’s long-term food security.
“The study, which used KPKM data spanning several years, also analysed the income and entrepreneurial involvement of agricultural TVET graduates,” it said in a statement yesterday.
The study also found that graduates who ventured into the agricultural sector earned an average income of RM100 more per month than those working outside the sector, while agro-entrepreneurs recorded higher incomes than graduates who run non-agricultural businesses, thus proving that the agriculture sector offers a competitive career path.
However, it said the agriculture sector continues to face challenges, with one in two farm workers now aged 40 and above, while youth participation has continued to decline over the past decade.
In addition, the participation of agricultural TVET graduates was found to be concentrated in Sabah at 15 per cent, followed by Kedah (14 per cent) and Sarawak (13 per cent), while key agricultural states such as Johor, Pahang and Perak have yet to be fully leveraged.
To bridge that gap, KPKM said the study outlined six policy directions, namely tailoring programme expansion according to state needs; measuring success based on outcomes relevant to agriculture; reducing risks in entrepreneurship; embedding entrepreneurial and market skills in all programmes; strengthening exposure to the entire value chain; and building stronger industry collaboration.
It added that the findings of the study were presented at the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council (MTVET) meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on June 4 and supports the national TVET agenda in line with the National Food Security Policy 2030 and the National Agro-Food Policy 2021-2030 (DAN 2.0). — Bernama
Source: agricultural-tvet-graduate-employment-rises-to-76pc-still-below-national-average
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Kritik.com.my. As an open platform, we welcome diverse perspectives, but the accuracy and integrity of contributed content remain the responsibility of the individual writer. Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate the information presented.