The Education Ministry?s Vocational Skills Training Programme which began in 2002 has shown very positive results with a yearly increments in student participation. The programme which began with 104 schools participating sees 404 schools this year involving 72,000 students and should increase to 704 schools by 2008.

What?s more, participating schools offering vocational subjects such as fashion design and sewing, domestic construction, computer graphics, hairstyling, food processing and catering and so on, are seeing greater attendance in school and a reduction in disciplinary problems. Student are once again finding renewed interest in attending school because they can learn subjects they are interested in and probably find employment or even set up their own business upon leaving school. Vocational subjects are non-examination subjects but students are awarded certificates upon successful completion of the courses.

The Vocational Skills Training Programme is aimed at academically weak students in Forms Four and Five.For their SPM, they can take the minimum of eight subjects, leaving free slots in their daily school timetable for the MPV (Mata Peklajaran Vokasional) classes. Students from schools that do not offer these courses can attend classes in other schools if their timetables do not clash.

List of Vocational Skills Training Programme Subjects: domestic construction (home repairs), furniture making, sign design, domestic plumbing, domestic wiring, arc and gas welding, automotive servicing, vehicle panel beating and painting, servicing of domestic electrical equipment, servicing of air-conditioning and cooling equipment, fashion design and sewing, food catering and presentation, facial care and hairstyling, food processing, basic interior decoration, early childcare and education, geriatrics, landscaping and nursery, aquaculture and animal (pets), food growing, multimedia production, computer graphics.