Anwar urges MoHE to tackle Malaysia’s 30,000-engineer shortage, wants immediate action

Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) to swiftly tackle Malaysia’s significant shortage of engineering experts.

This call to action comes as the nation increasingly adopts artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster efficiency and elevate living standards.

During his address at the Malaysia Artificial Intelligence Nexus 2024 launch event, Anwar emphasised the critical need to address the shortage of 30,000 engineers, amid the importance of maintaining high quality standards alongside quantity improvements.

He highlighted that, following discussions with academics regarding the development of Malaysia’s AI ecosystem, engineers stand out as the fundamental resource required.

“And we lack about 30,000 engineers today. So the Ministry of Higher Education must think how we can have an immediate plan via TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training), training institutes and science and engineering faculties, to increase and maintain quality (of engineers).

“If we only stress numbers, and the industry feels that the standard is subpar, it will affect the investments into our country. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I hope this matter can be given due attention.

“I stress that we cannot adopt the old ways anymore. If we feel we need to add the number of engineers, there must be an approach that is immediate, because, as I said, post-normal times demand and force us to make changes swiftly.

“The accelerated pace, that is among the signs that we need to make this AI programme a success,” he said.

Anwar added that attention should be given to executing plans instead of just formulating them.

“I am not too drawn to all the old or new plans. Being here for one-and-a-half years, I see the challenge as being our dedication to exploring new ideas and swift execution. Our challenge is our ability to execute the plan,” he added.