MELAKA, 16 January 2024 - Malaysia-China collaboration within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative benefits students when the Chinese government offers free scholarships to 1,000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in the country to take courses there.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the opportunity involved various courses, especially automotive, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and new high-tech fields such as electric vehicles.

A TVET graduate tracer study conducted in 2020 revealed that the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (MRRD) produced the highest number of entrepreneurs, 44.6% of them earning incomes below RM1000 from automotive repair and service workshops and 76.7% from tailoring and clothing manufacturing. The phenomenon is not isolated, but is aligned with a national agenda that places a high priority on entrepreneurship and innovation in the TVET sector.