Malaysia’s Job Empowerment by Learning & Inclusive Technical Advancement (JELITA) programme which is under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training’s Special Women umbrella, is now aiming for an intake of 150,000 women within the next 3 years. This targeted number is more compared to the earlier-proposed target of 15,000.
As quoted by NST on Thursday 3 August 2023, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the initial target of 15,000 was too little given that the applications since the announcement of the programme in June have exceeded 6,000. As he was discussing the new target, he was cited saying that “If the target of 15,000 is achieved by 2025, then we would need to raise the numbers again as the demand for skilled women in the workforce is high.”
Furthermore, Datuk Zahid said that the marketability rate for women in the workforce is at 62% and the government is aiming to raise it to 95%.
He added that a new platform for online applications which is similar to the UPU system will be put in place in order to avoid competition among TVET institutions or any overlapping of courses.
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As shared by RISDA, the JELITA programme will focus on six target groups of women. As a result, this is to empower the economy through the development of talents, skills and knowledge.
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School leavers interested in vocational courses
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Housewives & single mothers
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Women in rural areas
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Female entrepreneurs
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Women seeking career change or expansion of skills
This programme is a part of a strategic collaboration between Kolej Universiti Agrosains Malaysia (UCAM) and Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), where their role is to provie training and facilitators to provide skilled workers of quality specifically for women.
According to the NST report, Datuk Zahid said that there will be 12 ministries supporting the programme. He will also be the TVET secretariat as he is the deputy prime minister.
As a start, the courses provided are such as:
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Information technology
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Engineering technology
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Beauty and fashion
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Logistics
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Marketing and entrepreneurship
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Halal industry
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Agrotechnology
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Rural business
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Tourism
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Hospitality and culinary