00:00What if the years you spent working could count as years spent studying?
00:05In Malaysia, there's a way you can turn your real-life experience into recognized academic
00:10qualifications and it's called APEL. APEL, or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning,
00:17is a program that recognizes the knowledge and skills you've gained through work and
00:21life experience and converts them into formal academic credit.
00:24Every year, thousands of Malaysians step into the workforce right after school,
00:32not out of choice but out of necessity, driven by family responsibilities or the rising cost of
00:37education. Between 2020 and 2023 alone, more than half a million SPM graduates didn't continue their
00:45studies. That's a workforce full of experience, yet held back by the lack of formal qualifications
00:51to climb higher. And as industries evolve, experience alone may no longer be enough.
00:59As Deputy Higher Education Minister Mustafa Sakput puts it, upskilling is no longer optional.
01:05That's where APEL comes in. Developed by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency,
01:10we want to achieve by 2030 is 35%. Currently it's around 28%. So we need more workforce by 2030.
01:24That is why we are trying very hard to upskill our workforce.
01:30That's where APEL comes in. Developed by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency,
01:35it gives working adults the recognition they deserve.
01:40There are three main APEL pathways.
01:42APEL A, Access. This allows individuals to enter into a degree or master's program without the usual
01:49academic qualifications based on assessment of their prior learning and experience.
01:54APEL C, Credit. Grants credit exemptions for certain courses if candidates can show equivalent
02:00knowledge or skills acquired through work or other experiences.
02:05APEL Q, Qualification. Allows highly experienced individuals to earn a full qualification,
02:12like a diploma, degree or PhD, purely through assessment of your prior learning and achievements.
02:17And here's the important part, quality control. All APEL programs are overseen by the Malaysian
02:24Qualifications Agency. Mustafa says APEL gives working adults a second opportunity at education.
02:31This will give, firstly, their career advancement. Second, getting better salary. And of course,
02:41their skill is being upgraded, especially with the new technology. So these three important criteria
02:51is good for the working adults to uplift themselves. Otherwise, they will only stay at their current
03:00level. So this will give them opportunity, impact on their life, and can also broaden their knowledge.
03:09One person who took that chance is Nasruddin Elias, veteran singer and former frontman of Left-Handed.
03:26Through the APEL Q route, he transformed decades of experience in the arts into a master's degree in
03:32performance studies from University Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
03:35For thousands of Malaysians, APEL is unlocking doors to education,
03:42and the people in the arts and in the arts.
03:43We have a chance.
03:45We have a chance.
03:46And we have a chance.
03:48We have a chance.
03:49We have a chance.
03:50We have a chance.
03:51So it's a shame for people who are accepting their own lives.
03:54Because for me, in our lives, we want to have a chance.
03:58We can achieve something that we can achieve, that we can be proud of.
04:01For thousands of Malaysians, APEL is unlocking doors to education they thought were closed.
04:06Natasha Bust, FMT.
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