Education IDENTIFIERS *Malaysia

The Industrialized Needs study identified the perceptions of Malaysian educators and employers regarding the role of vocational and technical education (VTE) in the economic development of Malaysia. The first survey used a random sample of 300 (276 responses) from the population of 4,316 VTE educators in public VT schools and polytechnics in Peninsular Malaysia. The second population was employers from large and medium-size manufacturing companies in Klang Valley and Selangor, 120 of whom became the sample of employers (53 responses). Based on the findings of the study, several conclusions were drawn: (1) both educators and employers believed VTE and training have assumed a major role in the economic development of Malaysia and that a substantial financial investment in VTE and training was justified; (2) both groups were less certain regarding the employability skills of VT graduates; (3) educators and employers differed with regard to which factors helped or inhibited the restructuring of VTE, but both group