Talk about rebranding technical and vocational education and training (TVET) pop up all the time.
The most recent was in March, when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged the Higher Education Ministry to formulate a new policy on TVET.
This a good first step. However, any rebranding effort must contend with a major challenge confronting TVET education in Malaysia — poor public perception and low awareness.
The entire sector needs more effective marketing and branding as TVET is mostly perceived as a second-choice alternative to the mainstream education pathway, and that it caters to poor performers or dropouts.
This perception has led to low enrolment rates in TVET institutions and even lower demand for technical education.
Surveys suggest that pre-secondary pupils' lack of knowledge and parental support are the major factors discouraging interest to enrol into TVET courses.
Accordingly, the latest United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation data shows that the participation rate of youths in Malaysia's technical and vocational education is relatively low at 6.1 per cent.
For instance, Singapore has a figure of 23.8 per cent, followed Germany (20.4 per cent) and South Korea (14.2 per cent).
TVET rebranding efforts in Malaysia may benefit from success stories elsewhere in Asean.
In Singapore, a significant turnaround of its national TVET programme was attributed to extensive efforts in communication, marketing and reforms since 1992.
Following the establishment of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in the city-state, emphasis moved towards nurturing the less academically inclined based on the slogan "Hands-on, Minds-on and Hearts-on".
The institute's clear pathway for students to advance in their education is also another plus point. As a result, Singapore's TVET has gained more recognition over the years.
ITE's image has improved substantially from 37 per cent in 1997 to 69 per cent in 2010.
A sizable 65 per cent of students have pursued the vocational route for post-secondary education, alongside a high employment rate of 90 per cent post-graduation.
In Malaysia, efforts over the past decade to reform TVET through successive Malaysia Plans, education blueprints and polytechnic transformations have also resulted in gains for TVET graduates.
Over the last four years, statistics suggest that the marketability rates of TVET graduates have exceeded the overall (including non-TVET) graduates.
But, more work is required to correct the social stigma towards the TVET system. This is crucial as a large body of international evidence indicates that TVET stimulates economic growth through higher productivity and accelerated innovation, besides offering higher wages and employment opportunities.
Rebranding Malaysia's TVET system requires more than changing its name.
One of the possible ways to raise public awareness on benefits of TVET education is through a national apprenticeship week — a platform to promote the viability of apprenticeships and vocational training by having stakeholders (i.e. students and firms) share their experience with the public, connecting employers with jobseekers, and showcasing successful apprentices.
The United Kingdom and the United States have deployed this method to great effect.
Skills competitions may be another avenue to showcase the talents of TVET students across a wide range of areas, such as automotive technology, information technology software solution and welding.
Leveraging the success stories of Malaysian TVET students and alumni winning the WorldSkills Competitions will also boost enrolment numbers as they can help demonstrate the real prospects of TVET.
Like how the internationally recognised certifications, such as CFA or ACCA, are touted via the mass media, this initiative will encourage the potential pool of students.
This can complement efforts to publish hard data on TVET graduate marketability rate, their skills level and salary range.
But, rebranding should come alongside improvements in the quality of education. TVET educators should be provided with more training to strengthen their skills and knowledge.
Anecdotal evidence from stakeholder engagement suggests that lacking career guidance skills among educators is one of the main factors shaping the poor perception among pupils and parents.
Hence, teachers and trainers themselves need to be equipped with strong understanding of the system before offering advice.
The goal is to mainstream TVET as its effectiveness and acceptance will depend on its impact on the nation's social and economic development.
The writer is a senior researcher at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times