Building Global Talent Through Malaysia–China TVET Collaboration

Address by Mohammad Rizan Hassan, President of BELIA MAHIR

2026 China-Malaysia TVET Standards & Credit Mutual Recognition Seminar

13 June 2026 | Taizhou City, China

Good morning and warm greetings to all distinguished representatives from TVET institutions in China, our colleagues from Malaysia, industry partners, and esteemed guests.

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all participants for joining this important workshop. It is a privilege for us to come together to discuss a strategic agenda that has the potential to strengthen TVET cooperation between Malaysia and China for many years to come.

On behalf of BELIA MAHIR, I believe that Malaysia-China collaboration in TVET has now entered a new phase.

In the past, our cooperation focused mainly on student mobility programmes, cultural exchanges, short-term training, and institutional partnerships. While these initiatives have been valuable, I believe the time has come for us to move beyond mobility and begin building a more sustainable and impactful framework for skills development.

Today, we are discussing something much bigger.

We are discussing how our skills standards can be aligned, how qualifications can be mutually recognized, how learning credits can be transferred, and ultimately how our students can benefit from Dual Certification and Dual Diploma pathways that are recognized by both countries.

For BELIA MAHIR, Dual Certification is not simply about awarding two certificates to a student.

Dual Certification represents trust between two nations.

It reflects our confidence that competencies developed in Malaysia are recognized and valued in China, and that competencies developed in China are equally recognized and respected in Malaysia.

Therefore, I believe our discussions should focus on three fundamental pillars.

The first pillar is Standards Alignment.

We need to identify similarities and equivalencies between Malaysia's National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) and the occupational competency standards used by TVET institutions in China. Through benchmarking and competency mapping, we can build a common understanding of skills requirements across both countries.

The second pillar is Mutual Recognition.

We should establish a mechanism that allows qualifications, competencies, and learning outcomes obtained in one country to be recognized by the other. This will enhance confidence among institutions, industries, employers, and learners.

The third pillar is Credit Transfer.

A structured credit transfer system will enable students to continue their studies or training across partner institutions without unnecessary duplication of learning. This will create more flexible and efficient learning pathways for our future workforce.

Once these three foundations are in place, the pathway towards Dual Certification and Dual Diploma programmes will become much more practical, systematic, and sustainable.

I would also like to suggest that our initial collaboration focus on strategic sectors that are highly relevant to both Malaysia and China, including Electric Vehicles (EV), Smart Manufacturing, Industrial Automation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Quality Assurance, and other emerging technologies that will shape the future economy.

Malaysia and China each bring unique strengths to this partnership.

Malaysia has developed a strong national skills certification system and close industry engagement through the National Occupational Skills Standards framework. China has demonstrated remarkable achievements in technological innovation, industrial development, and large-scale TVET implementation.

By combining these strengths, we can create a new model of international TVET cooperation that not only benefits our two countries but may also serve as a reference for the wider ASEAN region and beyond.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The future of TVET is not confined by national borders. Talent, technology, and industry needs are increasingly global. Therefore, our education and skills development systems must also become more connected, more collaborative, and more internationally recognized.

I sincerely hope that today's workshop will serve as an important milestone towards the development of a Malaysia-China TVET Standards Alignment, Mutual Recognition, Credit Transfer, and Dual Certification Framework.

Such a framework will create greater opportunities for institutions, industries, and most importantly, for the young people who will become the future workforce of our nations.

Thank you once again for your commitment, partnership, and friendship.

I wish everyone a productive and successful discussion.

Thank you.

Xie Xie.