PUTRAJAYA, June 4 — The National TVET Council (MTVET) Meeting No. 2/2026 today focused on strengthening agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a strategic agenda to support the development of the agro-food sector and enhance national food security.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in a statement, said the meeting, which he chaired, also reviewed several strategic initiatives to reinforce the country’s TVET ecosystem, particularly in sectors that are key drivers of economic growth and national development.

According to him, special attention was given to talent development in the agro-food sector amid challenges facing agricultural TVET, including issues related to graduate employability, the availability of high-skilled jobs and mismatches between graduates’ skills and industry requirements.

“The meeting took note of findings presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), which highlighted the need to strengthen talent development efforts to improve productivity, innovation and competitiveness in the agro-food sector,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development.

He said the matter has significant implications for food security, human capital development and the nation’s economic growth.

As such, he proposed that the issue be elevated to the Cabinet through the preparation of a Cabinet Memorandum to enable the government to consider more comprehensive and integrated policy measures.

The meeting also took note of the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) Construction TVET Implementation Plan 2026–2030, which is designed to transform the construction training ecosystem through stronger governance, wider adoption of digital technologies, enhanced career pathways and closer collaboration with industry stakeholders.

Ahmad Zahid said the initiative would help develop a highly skilled and competent workforce capable of adapting to rapid technological advancements, including digitalisation, automation and innovation within the construction sector.

“This initiative will not only address the industry’s demand for local skilled workers but also strengthen the competitiveness of Malaysia’s construction sector at both the regional and global levels,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid, who is National TVET Council chairman, said the meeting was briefed on preparations for the National TVET Day 2026 celebration, which will take place over three days beginning tomorrow at Dataran Putrajaya under the theme “TVET the Main Career Choice”.

The event is expected to attract more than 500,000 visitors and will serve as a platform to showcase TVET’s role in developing a future-ready workforce and promoting skills-based careers among Malaysians.

Ahmad Zahid reaffirmed the government’s commitment to positioning TVET as a key national agenda for producing highly skilled human capital through close collaboration between government agencies, industry players and training institutions.

“I am confident that through strong cooperation among the government, industry and training institutions, TVET will continue to produce competent, innovative and competitive talent capable of driving the nation’s progress,” he said. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA, June 6 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has proposed the establishment of a dedicated accreditation body for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to coordinate the assessment and recognition of the field without affecting the roles of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and the Department of Skills Development (JPK).

Ahmad Zahid, who is also chairman of the National TVET Council, said the proposal was made in view of the current system, which separates academic and skills-based accreditation, whereas TVET requires a dedicated body to provide more comprehensive coordination.

“As we have 1,395 TVET institutions, it would be better for accreditation to be carried out by a dedicated body without interfering with the accreditation functions currently undertaken by MQA and JPK.

“This is in line with the standards adopted by several developed countries, where we have found that they have separate bodies for accreditation, and this is something Malaysia can emulate,” he told reporters after launching the Government-Industry TVET Coordination Body (GITC) TVET Placement Centre (GTPC) and the High-Impact Industry Forum in conjunction with National TVET Day 2026 here today.

Commenting on the progress of the proposal, he said the matter had been discussed with relevant stakeholders, including those at the Higher Education Ministry.

He added that he had discussed the matter with Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman, Higher Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim and, prior to that, with Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

“I believe the matter can be pursued at the working level, and my secretary-general (Datuk Seri Suriani Ahmad) will follow up with both MQA and JPK,” he said.

Asked whether the proposed accreditation body would require new appointments, the Rural and Regional Development Minister said there was no such need, as the necessary structure already existed within the current system.

“No, because the personnel are already in place. It is only a matter of separating responsibilities specifically for technical fields,” he said.

Reiterating the proposal during his speech, Ahmad Zahid said the establishment of a dedicated accreditation body formed part of a broader TVET-specific recognition agenda aimed at ensuring TVET graduates meet industry standards and labour market requirements.

He said the GTPC should play a key role as a national bridge between talent and industry to ensure that industrial training placements, work-based learning, apprenticeship opportunities, employment placements and talent matching are carried out in a more structured manner.

“More importantly, I hope Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, as chairman of GITC, will ensure that GITC becomes an instrument for the nation to better understand the actual needs of the job market for TVET graduates,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said TVET was no longer merely an educational agenda but had evolved into a national agenda requiring the collective involvement of all stakeholders, including the government, industry and training institutions.

He said the TVET ecosystem must be driven collectively within a more structured framework to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with current industry needs.

“This can only be achieved if the government, industry and institutions work together within a well-coordinated ecosystem,” he said.

The National TVET Day 2026 celebration is being held over three days, from yesterday, at Dataran Putrajaya here, with the official opening and launch of TVET 2.0 officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. — Bernama

JUNE 1 — Malaysia’s agriculture sector faces a dual challenge: an ageing farming population and declining youth interest in agricultural careers. At the same time, there is a growing policy emphasis on food security, rural development, and youth entrepreneurship. 

According to preliminary findings from the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s Agriculture Census 2024, the largest segment of Malaysian farmers is aged 60 or older. The farmers’ age profile reveals a concerning trend: 45.6 per cent are aged 60 or older, 32.3 per cent are aged 46 to 59, and only 22.2 per cent are aged 15 to 45. 

Hence, the majority of senior citizens among individual farmers directly affect farm productivity and the nation’s ability to increase domestic production and sustain the agriculture sector as a whole.

In this context, intergenerational activities that connect elderly farmers or senior citizens with agricultural expertise to younger generations are not just desirable; they are strategically necessary. They offer a way to sustain agricultural knowledge, support active ageing, and cultivate a new generation of agripreneurs.

As aging farmers become less productive, it not only impacts farmers’ income but also threatens the long-term growth of the sector. 

From a gerontology perspective, such activities align closely with the concept of active ageing, which emphasises continued participation, social engagement, and meaningful roles in later life. Elderly farmers possess decades of tacit knowledge about local soils, climate, cropping patterns, and informal market practices — knowledge that is easily lost if not transmitted. 

Intergenerational programmes turn this knowledge into a social resource: elders become mentors, storytellers, and co-trainers, rather than being seen only as “retired” or “past their productive years”.

Malaysia’s agriculture sector faces a dual challenge: an ageing farming population and declining youth interest in agricultural careers. — Bernama pic

In Malaysia, while not many initiatives are specifically identified as “intergenerational farming programmes,” numerous current efforts incorporate significant intergenerational aspects or could easily be enhanced in that direction. 

The Young Agropreneur Programme (Program Agropreneur Muda, PAM), spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, serves as a key illustration. It offers funding, training, and assistance to Malaysians — usually aged 18 to 40 — to develop sustainable businesses in the agrofood, livestock, fisheries, and agro-based sectors. Official reports indicate that thousands of young entrepreneurs have received support and show high business continuity rates, suggesting that the program has been somewhat successful in reducing obstacles for youth in agriculture.

Although PAM is mainly positioned as a youth and entrepreneurship programme, the manner in which training and support are provided inherently includes an intergenerational aspect. Technical and business instruction is frequently delivered by seasoned professionals, senior agronomists, and exemplary farmers, most of whom are older and possess extensive backgrounds in agriculture or agribusiness. 

This fosters informal mentorship connections in which younger individuals acquire not only technical skills but also risk management, coping techniques, and insights into “what truly succeeds” in the community context. As successful PAM participants transition into mentors for newer cohorts, a dynamic cycle of “generational layering” emerges: yesterday’s youth agripreneur evolves into today’s knowledgeable “elder” in the agricultural ecosystem.

In addition to national programs, there are community-driven efforts that clearly position agriculture as a link between generations. The senior citizen activity centre, commonly referred to as Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE), can support the agriculture mentoring initiative that engages senior farmers in imparting their farming knowledge and techniques to local youth in the nearby community.

Urban and rural projects, such as youth-focused farms or community gardens, often use farming as a way to reduce the generation gap, pairing younger participants with older community members or retirees with farming or gardening experience. In these programmes, the learning is reciprocal: elders teach about traditional crops, sustainable practices, and local food culture, while youth contribute physical labour and digital skills such as social media promotion, basic e-commerce, or simple data tracking. Over time, these spaces can evolve into incubators for small agripreneur ventures — selling herbs, salad greens, or value-added products — rooted in intergenerational collaboration.

Intergenerational agriculture is also relevant to questions of social mobility and farm succession. Research on intergenerational mobility in Malaysia has shown that many children of farmers move into non-agricultural sectors, contributing to upward mobility but also raising questions about who will manage farms in the future. 

Without structured pathways for land and knowledge transfer, ageing farmers may struggle to retire, while land becomes underutilised or fragmented. Intergenerational programmes can help mediate this transition — through mentorship arrangements, joint ventures between elders and youth agripreneurs, or community-based cooperative models — ensuring that both generations benefit. Such arrangements can improve older farmers’ financial security and psychological well-being, while giving young people a more secure foothold in agribusiness.

Viewed through the lens of social science, these experiences suggest several design principles for intergenerational agriculture in Malaysia:

First, roles should be genuinely reciprocal: older farmers are not token figures but recognised experts, and youth are not passive students but active partners bringing innovation and energy. Second, programmes should integrate agripreneurship components — such as marketing, value addition, and financial literacy — so that exposure to farming is explicitly linked to viable livelihood pathways. Third, attention to age-friendly environments and flexible schedules is crucial, especially for elderly participants with health or mobility constraints. Finally, symbolic recognition — certificates, public profiles, inclusion in policy dialogues—can reinforce the social value of older farmers’ contributions and make agricultural careers more visible and aspirational for youth.

In sum, Malaysia already possesses many of the ingredients for robust intergenerational agriculture: an ageing but knowledgeable cohort of farmers, policy momentum around youth agripreneurship, and community initiatives that use farming to build social connections. The next step is to intentionally design and frame these activities as intergenerational, making explicit their dual goals of sustaining agriculture and supporting healthy, meaningful ageing.

* The author is a Research Fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies (UAC), Universiti Malaya and a part-time lecturer at Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS) UTM.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.

MP Melanie Ward calls on Charity Commission to look into 32 organisations she says have given at least £28m

Thirty-two charities in England and Wales have donated at least £28m to Israeli settlements that are illegal under international law, an MP has said.

Labour’s Melanie Ward said that if gift aid were claimed against the donations in the usual way, it would mean taxpayers had subsidised illegal settlements to the tune of £5.6m, a situation she described as deplorable. The foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, announced on Tuesday that the Charity Commission has been tasked with investigating UK charities’ links to settlements.