Throughout Sarawak, aspirations for decent work, economic empowerment, and relevant skills resonate strongly among rural and underrepresented groups.
However, for many young women and marginalised youth, especially in remote districts, the route to acquiring essential technical and organisational abilities remains fraught with challenges.
Understanding these realities, learning from local successes, and opening more inclusive pathways are key to unlocking Sarawak’s collective potential.
Recent findings highlight encouraging trends in Sarawak’s skills landscape.
The state continues to perform strongly in TVET graduate outcomes.
As of August 2025, the employability rate for TVET graduates from the Sarawak Zone Polytechnics and Community Colleges (PolyCC) stood at around 96%, while community college graduates posted an even higher 97.1%, underscoring the system’s growing relevance to industry demands.
These findings imply that TVET training in Sarawak is closely aligned with industry demand, enabling most graduates to secure employment after completion.
Consistent with this, Sarawak reported a 96% employability rate for TVET graduates state-wide in October 2024.
Nationally, enrolment in TVET has been on an upward trajectory.
In Malaysia, approximately 166,577 students were enrolled in TVET programmes in 2022; by comparison, the figure climbed to about 212,022 in 2024, with total registered participants reaching 423,267.
Consequently, overall enrolment increased from roughly 394,976 to around 436,285 students over the same period, underscoring the system’s rising appeal among learners.
Meanwhile, the gender and workforce data tell a familiar story.
Women account for almost half of Sarawak’s 2.47 million people, yet their workforce participation remains limited at 51.2%, far behind the 81.4% achieved by men.
Another pertinent indicator points to progress: women in Sarawak now constitute “more than 47%” of the state’s registered workforce.
Still, under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), both federal and state strategies remain focused on achieving a 60% female participation rate – a milestone seen as vital to balanced and inclusive growth.
STEM participation among Form Four and Form Five students in Sarawak now stands at 50.8% in 2025, suggesting a positive trend towards engagement in science and technical studies.
Yet, without gender-specific data, it is unclear how inclusive this progress truly is.
Taken together, these figures offer both encouragement and caution, reflecting rising TVET enrolment and high employability rates, yet persistent gender gaps in labour participation and potential under-representation in specific technical sectors and rural areas.
Why Young Women and Marginalised Youth Still Struggle to Access Training
Beneath Sarawak’s promising TVET and employability numbers, structural constraints continue to shape who gets access, and who doesn’t.
Some are well established in the literature, while others must be inferred due to limited data availability.
First, women’s labour force participation in Sarawak remains comparatively low at roughly 51.2%, versus around 81.4% for men.
This reflects ongoing constraints linked to care burdens, cultural norms, and inadequate institutional support mechanisms.
Second, although TVET enrolment continues to rise, there is a shortage of disaggregated data showing the proportion of women and individuals from rural or marginalised backgrounds, particularly within technical trades as opposed to service-oriented or “softer” vocational disciplines.
This lack of granularity impedes targeted interventions.
Third, Sarawak’s geography itself poses persistent barriers.
High transport and lodging costs, coupled with uneven facility distribution, restrict opportunities in outlying regions.
Polytechnics and community colleges together enrol nearly 97,600 students, yet the extent to which this represents gender and regional balance is still an open question.
Additionally, deep-seated cultural assumptions also weigh on progress.
Expectations about women’s place in the home and lingering doubts about their suitability for technical work continue to shape participation patterns.
Although difficult to quantify, these attitudes are reflected in the gender gap in labour force participation and in the state’s repeated calls to strengthen women’s presence in leadership, entrepreneurship, and the wider workforce.
In response, Sarawak’s “Women in Orange Economy” initiative seeks to equip women with leadership and entrepreneurial skills that extend beyond domestic roles.
At the same time, organisational or “soft” skills – including planning, leadership, communication, and time management – remain critical for workplace readiness.
Yet these are often overlooked in formal training or lack dedicated certification.
When such abilities remain invisible, many young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, risk being overlooked for opportunities where these skills are valued.
Current Efforts and Initiatives
To address these gender participation gaps, both federal and state governments have implemented targeted initiatives and measurable goals.
One notable example is the national goal to increase female labour force participation to 60% by 2030; as of mid-2025, the rate stands at approximately 56.2%.
Meanwhile, to complement this national agenda, Sarawak has launched an initiative, WEJANA (Penjanaan Pendapatan Wanita), which provides entrepreneurial and business development support for women, especially homemakers, incorporating financial access, marketing training, and capacity-building components to facilitate sustainable income generation.
Pathways for Systemic Improvement
From the available data, a few key directions emerge as both practical and necessary for Sarawak’s skills and inclusion agenda.
First, improving the quality and granularity of data should be a top priority.
Disaggregating TVET statistics by gender, location (division or district), trade specialisation, and possibly socio-economic status or ethnicity would make it easier to identify where access gaps remain.
Currently, it’s easy to determine how many people enrol or find jobs after training.
However, it’s much harder to tell how many of them are women or rural youth in technical trades.
Second, expanding accessibility is critical.
For many rural communities, distance and travel costs are significant barriers.
This could be mitigated by expanding satellite campuses, adopting online learning for theory-based courses, and offering travel allowances or residential facilities.
Third, integrating organisational or soft skills into TVET curricula – and ensuring their recognition through certificates or digital badges – would help make these skills visible to employers.
Without clear recognition, competencies such as communication, leadership, and teamwork risk being undervalued despite their importance in employability.
Fourth, improving support for caregiving and flexible learning arrangements remains essential.
Many women face constraints from domestic responsibilities, so options such as weekend classes, childcare assistance, or adaptable training schedules could improve participation and reduce attrition.
Fifth, greater employer engagement can strengthen inclusivity.
Companies and industries could be incentivized or recognized for providing apprenticeships and traineeships to women and marginalized youth – not only in traditionally “soft” technical fields but also in non-traditional trades such as electrical work, machinery, or ICT.
Those that offer mentoring or leadership opportunities can help normalise women’s development and participation in technical roles.
Lastly, financial accessibility should not be overlooked.
Even with free tuition, indirect costs can still prevent participation.
Targeted stipends or bursaries could help close that last gap.
How Inclusive Growth Strengthens Outcomes
Greater inclusion in technical and organisational training produces gains at every level of society.
On the micro scale, individuals – especially women – gain economic agency through stable employment and increased income potential.
This often translates into improved household welfare and greater decision-making power.
At the meso level, enterprises benefit from improved human capital diversity, which strengthens innovation capacity and operational resilience.
At the macro scale, higher participation in productive work supports economic growth through lower unemployment, a broader tax base, and reduced welfare dependency.
Socially, inclusive training ecosystems foster equality, community cohesion, and long-term reductions in poverty and discrimination, particularly in rural and remote regions.
How an Inclusive Skills Strategy Could Take Shape in Sarawak
Based on current data and lessons from comparable initiatives, a potential roadmap for Sarawak’s policymakers and stakeholders can be outlined.
The first step is a targeted needs assessment, ideally within six months, conducted with the Department of Statistics Malaysia and state-level agencies.
This should capture disaggregated data on who remains excluded from technical, TVET, and organisational skills training – by gender, district, income group, and trade category.
Without such precision, interventions risk missing their intended beneficiaries.
Concurrently, inclusive pilot programmes could be implemented in high-need rural divisions.
These pilots could feature satellite TVET facilities, blended theoretical learning, flexible scheduling, transport or lodging assistance, and childcare support.
Modules should explicitly recognise organisational or “soft” skills through certification or micro-credentials.
Pilot trades should also correspond to regional labour market demand to maximise employment outcomes.
To ensure relevance and uptake, employer collaboration must be built into programme design.
Employers can be encouraged – through incentives, recognition, or quotas – to provide apprenticeship placements and mentoring opportunities for women and marginalised youth in both traditional and non-traditional fields.
Monitoring and evaluation should run concurrently, capturing enrolment completion, employability, and wage outcomes – as well as qualitative feedback from participants, particularly rural women, on barriers and enabling factors.
Once pilot programmes yield measurable results, they can be scaled across the state, tailored to the local context.
Budget planning should account for both recurrent supports (such as transport and childcare) and capital needs for remote training delivery.
Finally, long-term success depends on community engagement and public communication.
Transforming cultural attitudes toward women’s work and technical careers requires consistent outreach – showcasing role models and success stories that demonstrate inclusion as a source of strength for Sarawak’s development.
Ongoing Issues and Future Focus
Even with progress underway, some gaps remain that could limit long-term impact.
For example:
– The substantial financial and logistical demands of extending remote training facilities and qualified personnel to Sarawak’s more isolated areas.
– The difficulty of ensuring credible, employer-recognised assessments of organisational and soft skills, which are often harder to validate than technical competencies.
– Retention issues, especially among women who may withdraw due to family responsibilities, travel constraints, or social pressure – highlighting the need for sustained support mechanisms.
– Weaknesses in long-term tracking systems for graduates’ career outcomes, including wages and mobility, disaggregated by gender and location.
Emerging Trends in Sarawak’s Inclusive Training Landscape
The state has demonstrated a clear commitment to inclusion.
Women now represent over 47% of the state’s registered workforce, a milestone supported by policies that back empowerment with resources.
Meanwhile, state-led initiatives like the ‘Women in Orange Economy (WIOE) – backed by RM5 million in 2025 funding – seek to build women’s capacity in business, leadership, and creative industries.
The pursuit of a 60% female labour participation rate has become a shared policy objective across federal and state levels, underpinned by multiple initiatives that focus on leadership cultivation and skills enhancement.
Conclusion
Sarawak’s upward trends in TVET enrolment, strong employability outcomes, and alignment with national policy targets point to steady progress in skills development.
Yet the data also reveal that genuine inclusion, particularly for rural women and marginalised youth in technical and leadership pathways, remains incomplete.
Closing the remaining gaps in opportunity, programme accessibility, and recognition of both technical and organisational skills could generate broad-based benefits: faster growth, more equitable participation, and greater social resilience.
The issue is no longer about the principle of inclusion – it is about the practice, and ensuring it reaches every trade, every district, and every young person striving to participate.
References:
- Graduan TVET Sarawak Catat 96 Peratus Kebolehpasaran
- Pendidikan TVET Diperkukuhkan, Lengkapkan Pelajar Dengan Kebolehan ‘Multi-Tasking’: UKAS
- Record Number of TVET Students Recorded in 2024, Dewan Rakyat Told
- Graduan TVET Catat Kadar Kebolehpasaran 94.5 Peratus
- Pendidikan TVET Diperkukuhkan, Lengkapkan Pelajar dengan Kebolehan ‘Multi-tasking’
- Sarawak Women in Labour Force Still Lacking: Awang Tengah
- Determine Women’s Leadership Role by Merit, Not by Gender
- Sarawak Women Continue to Resonate Change
- Women in Labour Force Reaches 56%, Govt Target 60% by 2030
- 13MP: Rural Women in Sarawak Urged to Take Bigger Leadership Role to Meet 60 Pct Participation Target
- Sarawak Zone PolyCC Records 47,902 TVET Graduates
- Sarawak Polytechnics, Community Colleges Celebrate 1,719 Graduates
- Women in Orange Economy (WIOE) Programme Empowers 100 Women in Various Sectors
- Ministry Aims for 60 pc Women in Workforce
Over 100,000 Applications for TVET Institutions Received Since April, Said Ahmad Zahid
