Malaysia gears up for TVET Day exhibition, targeting 200,000 attendees

Official poster of the upcoming Malaysia’s national TVET Day celebration. (BERNAMA)

Malaysia is set to host a three-day event celebrating its national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Day from June 5 to 7 at Putrajaya Square, Kuala Lumpur. This exhibition is designed as a platform to strengthen the country’s fast-growing TVET ecosystem—an educational system providing industry-focused skills training through schools, colleges and training institutes to prepare learners for employment in technical, skilled and professional trades—with the aim of driving substantial human capital development.

Since 2022, Malaysia has commemorated national TVET Day annually on June 2. The date was chosen to coincide with the funding of the country’s first education institution to provide TVET schooling, the Ungku Omar Polytechnic, in 1969.

On June 3, the National TVET Council Secretariat, under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, stated in a statement that this year’s event, themed “TVET: The Top Career Choice”, will gather not just students and educational institutions, but also government bodies, public and private sectors, as well as industries and entrepreneurs.

The council is targeting 200,000 attendants, with the expectation that cross-sector participation will foster stronger collaborations to ensure “the development of national talent aligns with current and future job market demands centered on technology, innovation and skills”.

The event will operate across six hubs each day from 09.00 am to 10.00 pm local time, featuring TVET exhibitions, seminars, a career carnival, informative entertainment, skill competitions and a future skill showcase. Malaysia’s official national job search portal and employment services platform MYFutureJobs and several China TVET institutions are confirmed participants.

Senior representatives are also expected to attend, including Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for a walkabout session June 5 and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on June 6.

What does this mean for businesses?

Having shifted towards a manufacturing and industrial economy over the past four decades, Malaysia now views TVET development as a critical pillar for human capital. Recently, the National TVET Council Secretariat reported that TVET experienced strong growth in 2025, capturing 459,558 student enrolments and a 95.9% graduate employability rate. These figures reflect a rising societal trust in vocational education as a vital pathway to high-skilled careers.

As the government continues to build on this momentum through structured policy and an annually observed national TVET Day, the long-standing perception of vocational training as a “second-class choice” is visibly shifting. For businesses, this translates into a more reliable and industry-aligned talent pipeline at scale. With high employability rates, TVET graduates are increasingly workforce-ready from day one, which reduces onboarding costs and narrows the skills gap.

The upcoming event’s deliberate inclusion of private sector and industry players also signals an open invitation for companies to shape curricula and forge direct hiring pipelines with institutions.

Kala Advisory helps European investors tap openings like these, from skilled talent pipelines to direct industry partnerships, across Southeast Asia. Visit kala-advisory.com.