Asean nations should empower the Asean TVET Council to establish a cross-border framework for recognising technical and vocational skills, ensuring qualifications earned in one member state are accepted across the region, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
Sim said the newly established Asean TVET Council should lead efforts to harmonise certification standards among member states.
He said at the Dialogue Session with the Minister on Fostering Cooperation Among Youths in Asean on Saturday (Aug 16).
00:00Southeast Asia or ASEAN in general has always focused on our region when it comes to peace,
00:19when it comes to prosperity. So therefore, a relationship with neighbours has always been
00:25good. I do not foresee any major changes when it comes to, for example, trade relationship
00:34with countries like Japan, who has always been our very close trade partners. But what
00:41are the roles that young entrepreneurs can play? Not only for relationship with Japan,
00:49but relationship with other. I think it is very obvious when there is exchanges, when
00:56there is collaboration, when there is cultural exchanges. And I think most of the participants
01:02here are from the Chinese chambers of your respective countries. So that is one common
01:08link. Although we are ethnic, we are Chinese descendants, ethnic Chinese, but we are loyal
01:16to our country. We want to serve our national interest. But this national, we can serve
01:22our national interest by building bridges with fellow Chinese descendants in neighbouring countries
01:31in Japan. So that young Chinese entrepreneurs in Japan can play that role to build bridges
01:42perhaps with Chinese entrepreneurs in Malaysia. So that through our similarities, because we
01:49can speak the same language, because we share the same culture, because we share the same ethnic
01:57city, we can bring two countries together. Together, our strength becomes formidable. Whether when we are
02:02dealing with tariff, when we are dealing with investments, as I said, for example, the EV investment coming
02:14into this region, or we are dealing with conflict. ASEAN is about consensus, it is about negotiation,
02:22it is about consultation, it is about willing to do the long term. It is a marathon, this is not a sprint. And we have
02:35seen results from this marathon. We are winning the race. ASEAN countries are not very big countries. If we are standing alone, definitely the global scenario is very, very challenging. But as a region, whether it is a
02:50region, whether it is dealing with trade, whether it is dealing with tariff, whether it is dealing with conflict, I think we can beat this together. I think when it comes to dealing with China, ASEAN countries find it very comfortable, very easy.
03:07China is, China is one of our biggest trade partners. For Malaysia, it has been our largest trade partner for the last more than 10 years, more than a decade. 15 years, 16 years, our largest trade partner.
03:20And as we have seen from the history of interaction between China and ASEAN, it has always been about peace, it is about friendship, and it is about common prosperity.
03:30So therefore, I think there is a lot of opportunity when it comes to collaboration with China, when it comes to technology. I was in China last December or November with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
03:47And we visited Huawei, the company, and immediately, one month after my visit, Huawei Malaysia and the government of Malaysia, after we came back, within one month, we signed an MOU to jointly collaborate to train up skilled engineers and technicians.
04:09And another month later, the collaboration started, the project started, very fast. And within two months, we have trained the first batch of Huawei technicians.
04:24And another three months later, I've just recently launched a Huawei Smart Campus, Jingying Xiaoyuan, in one of our government TVET schools.
04:39So I think these are some of the collaborations that we are willing to work with because China is a trusted partner when it comes to common prosperity, when it comes to common prosperity.
04:53economic interests. So I do not foresee any issues when it comes to working together. There are many opportunities. The government of Malaysia is going all up, as I said.
05:09We have just announced 145 billion US dollar strategic plan for the next five years. And a lot of focus is put on AI, on digitalisation, on the green economy.
05:25So I think there are a lot of opportunities. So I think there are a lot of areas of collaboration, especially when it comes to skills training, when it comes to knowledge transfer.
05:36Of course, I hope that when big economies come to invest in Malaysia or in this region, it must be on a win-win basis.
05:47There must be not only opportunities to make money, but there must also be opportunities to empower local human capital, local talents, to empower the local economy, eventually to also be equal partners.
06:08Indonesia. Indonesia. Human capital competition and also collaboration. Of course, similar with our timeframe, I think this is a very important issue.
06:22As I said, we are a region of about 600 to 700 million population. Imagine if we are able to work together to make our region one of the most high-skilled regions in the world.
06:38And then there is no stopping of the next economic breakthrough, the next start-ups, the next Huawei, the next Tesla coming from this region.
06:50But how do we do it? I think, I agree with our timeframe. There must be more provision for the mobility of skills and talents across this region.
07:06Not just of low-skilled labour, but also high-skilled workers.
07:12One of the suggestions that I raised in the ASEAN-TIBED conference three days ago was how do we empower the ASEAN-TIBED Council, which was just set up maybe about four or five years ago, 2020, to look into a common recognition framework.
07:32So, skills that are being taught in Malaysia. Skills that are being taught in Thailand or in Indonesia. Skills that are taught in Indonesia are recognized in Vietnam, Philippines, and so on and so forth.
07:45I think this is very important for the skills training sector in this region to come together for a common protocol. And we have done it, right? I've said we have got, if something as complicated as a green financing taxonomy, right? We have done it a few years ago.
08:06I think that our central bank has come together to agree on a common taxonomy. Skill is the currency of an AI economy. So, if we are beginning to recognize cross-border real-time e-payment, recognizing each other's currency to be used, then skills is one of the most important currencies that we have to have mutual recognition, mutual framework.
08:34So, I think this would be a very good step. So, I think this would be a very good step that there is a common protocol for the recognition of skills certification.
08:43Number two, there must be a lot more sharing of resources when it comes to skills training. Malaysia, I think the MC has announced that in June this year, we have opened up our National Training Week.
08:57National Training Week is an annual event in Malaysia by my ministry. So, this is the first year we are opening up our free, over 70,000 free skills training courses by Malaysians and international skills training provider.
09:12We open up these opportunities to friends all over ASEAN. We have got over 3 million party spaces taking part just within that one week. So, I think there must be more sharing of resources.
09:29Just imagine this. Malaysia spends about 2.4-2.5 billion a year per US dollar when it comes to skills training. If this is an average across the ASEAN countries, then you are looking at an outlay of 20 to 25 billion dollars a year.
09:56Just in the skills training sector alone in this region. Imagine how much more we can do if we pool our resources, if we are willing to share our resources.
10:08So, I tell you of government, including the Malaysian government, that we have to continue to insist on collaboration, on sharing of resources, on mutual recognition, and then on the allowance of a more flexible mobility of talents across this region.
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