In many nations especially ASEAN, a lot of young people start working early — in kitchens, workshops, shops, garages. And that’s great. But here’s the problem nobody talks about: most people stay in the same level forever, not because they’re not good enough, but because the system wasn’t designed for them to climb.
The Four Quadrants of TVET show this clearly.
Q1 is where everyone begins — hands-on jobs like cooking, sewing, fixing things.
Q2 is the “pro level” of those same skills — a chef instead of a kitchen helper, a tailor instead of a sewing assistant.
Q3 is the technical world — IT support, mechanics, technicians.
Q4 is the future — robotics, AI, digital tech, innovation.
Here’s the big issue:
ASEAN has plenty of Q1 and Q2 jobs, a few Q3 jobs, and almost no Q4 jobs.
So even if you’re talented, there’s no ladder to climb.
Why?
Some industries aren’t modern enough.
Some policies make it hard to continue studying.
Some companies don’t promote skill growth.
Some people still think TVET is “low class.”
But the truth is the opposite.
TVET is where real skills are born.
And where real careers should grow.
The whole point of the Four Quadrants is this:
Your first job shouldn’t decide your whole life.
You should be able to move from Q1 to Q4 if you want to.
If ASEAN wants a strong future, it has to build systems where young people can climb — not stay stuck where they started.
Because talent is everywhere.
Pathways are not.
Yet.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Why This Matters for You
Because your first job doesn’t have to lock your whole future.
You might start as:
a café assistant (Q1) or a junior cook (Q2) or even an IT support trainee (Q3)
…but you should still be able to become:
a food technologist or a robotics technician or a digital analyst or even a tech innovator
The Quadrant Model basically says:
It doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is whether the system lets you climb.
