DEWAN RAKYAT PASSES TWO AMENDMENT BILLS ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- The Dewan Rakyat today passed the National Skills Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Skills Development Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025.

Human Resource Minister Steven Sim said the amendments to the National Skills Development Act 2006 (Act 652) are aimed, among others, at providing incentives to quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) providers while safeguarding student welfare.

“There are instances where students spend money to enrol in vocational courses, but because the training provider is substandard, they not only waste time but sometimes go into debt for studies that do not lead to jobs,” he said when winding up the debate on the bill.

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Earlier, when tabling the bill for second reading, Sim said the Human Resource Ministry (KESUMA) acknowledged that the existing act does not provide a clear mechanism to suspend or revoke the accreditation of training centres that fail to maintain standards or breach established requirements.

He said KESUMA therefore believes it is time to strengthen the current regulatory framework through the proposed amendments.

“This ministry intends to introduce a more dynamic, performance-based system where outstanding training centres receive due recognition, while weaker centres are guided and continuously monitored to ensure training quality standards,” he said.

The bill also seeks to extend the accreditation period for skills training providers from three to six years and to introduce clearer, more transparent and accountable procedures for suspension and revocation.

It also aims to streamline skills certification in Malaysia as part of efforts to develop a highly skilled workforce.

Meanwhile, the Skills Development Fund Bill seeks to amend the Skills Development Fund Act 2004 (Act 640) to expand the financing scope of the Skills Development Fund Corporation (PTPK).

Key elements of the amendments include expanding the scope of skills training loans and financial assistance to other training programmes recognised by the Department of Skills Development (JPK), and enhancing governance through more transparent approval, management and control processes for financial assistance.

The Dewan Rakyat will sit again tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA