TVET 2.0, STEM, and the 4IR Workforce

 

Malaysia has already begun its journey towards TVET 2.0, reflecting the Government's commitment to preparing the nation for Industry 4.0 and future economic transformation.

As I reflect on this direction from an industry perspective, I often ask myself a simple question:

What kind of workforce architecture does TVET 2.0 actually require?

In my view, the Industry 4.0 workforce can be understood through four categories based on how people interact with technology: Users, Collaborators, Maintainers, and Innovators.

These categories help us move beyond the traditional discussion of skills and qualifications, allowing us to think more strategically about how Malaysia develops the human capabilities needed for automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and smart industries.

We can be divide workforce for 4IR Workforce into 4 categories. 

These categories reflect how workers interact with technologies such as robotics, automation, AI, and smart systems within modern industrial environments.

At the foundational level is the User. These workers operate systems and follow established procedures. Machine operators and robot operators are common examples. Next is the Collaborator, where workers coordinate workflows between humans and machines. Production supervisors and co-bot operators fall into this category, requiring stronger communication and system coordination capabilities.

The third category is the Maintainer. Robotics technicians and automation service engineers troubleshoot, repair, and maintain complex systems using stronger STEM competencies involving electronics, mechanics, networking, and programming. Finally, the Innovator represents the highest capability layer, where robotics engineers and AI developers design, integrate, and improve advanced systems through applied research and industrial innovation.

Recap: The Four TVET Quadrants

In earlier discussions, I introduced four TVET workforce quadrants for the Industry 4.0 era:

• V1 Users – Operate technologies and systems.
• V2 Collaborators – Coordinate workflows between people and technologies.
• T1 Maintainers – Troubleshoot, repair, and maintain technical systems.
• T2 Innovators – Design, integrate, and improve technologies through innovation.

Together, these four quadrants represent a progression from operating technology to creating and advancing it.

What increasingly concerns me is that weak STEM progression may create a lopsided workforce structure. We may produce many V1 users and T1 maintainers, but far fewer V2 collaborators and even fewer T2 innovators. As a result, operational execution may exist, but higher-level systems integration, applied problem-solving, and industrial innovation remain limited. 

I believe countries aiming for stronger Industry 4.0 readiness must progressively strengthen STEM capability development across the entire TVET ecosystem — from operational users to advanced innovators. If not, three major issues may emerge.

First, industries may become heavily dependent on foreign expertise for advanced automation and AI integration.

Second, local industries may struggle to move beyond operational execution into higher-value innovation activities.

Third, the national workforce structure may become increasingly imbalanced, producing many operators and maintainers, but too few collaborators, technologists, and innovators needed for long-term industrial transformation and sustainability.

Hence, this is my concern, if TVET2.0 is planning to drive the AI agenda, what would be its best strategy?