A CRITICAL REVIEW OF TVET POLICY ALIGNMENT AND WORK-BASED LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR INDUSTRY 4.0 TALENT DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) demands structural alignment between education policy, industry systems, and workforce development mechanisms. This study undertakes a critical policy review of Malaysia’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem, with particular emphasis on Work-Based Learning (WBL) strategies under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan and Dasar TVET Negara 2030. Using qualitative document analysis and comparative policy benchmarking against Germany, Singapore, South Korea, and Finland, the study evaluates alignment across three analytical dimensions: governance coherence, institutional capacity, and industry co-ownership. The findings indicate that while Malaysia demonstrates strong policy intent in embedding digital competencies and WBL within national frameworks, structural fragmentation across ministries, limited institutional autonomy, symbolic industry partnerships, and weak longitudinal performance monitoring constrain effective implementation. Unlike coordinated dual systems such as Germany’s, Malaysian WBL operates largely within institution-led arrangements lacking regulatory obligation and shared financing mechanisms with industry actors. The study contributes a multi-tiered analytical framework for assessing IR4.0 talent alignment in developing TVET systems and proposes actionable policy reforms, including governance consolidation, performance-based funding models, structured industry co-design mechanisms, and longitudinal graduate tracking systems. These reforms are essential to shift Malaysia’s TVET transformation from policy aspiration to systemic execution capable of sustaining global competitiveness.