Pre-vocational training for 50 schools starting next year

SINGAPORE: Fifty schools have been picked to conduct pre-vocational training in their lower secondary classes beginning next year.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said students from Form One to Form Three, who were keen on vocational training, could take up the classes.

"We will issue them with certificates and they can continue to pursue the vocational training until the Diploma level if they wanted to," Muhyiddin said during a press conference after his two-day official visit here Tuesday. He added that the subject would be taught during school hours.

"The project is in line with the government's plan to carry out a transformation of the existing vocational training model used in Malaysia," said Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister.

He said the ministry was keen to learn from the Singapore model as presently 20% of those entering the republic's school system opted for vocational training.

"At the moment 70% of their courses are based on practical applications while 30% involved theory.

"Although the Singapore model is different, we are interested to learn from them as they started earlier," he said.