TVET in depth: who runs what, the SKM ladder and the road to a degree

TVET (technical and vocational education and training) is not one school. In March 2026 the government portal counted 685 public TVET institutions under 12 ministries.^[1] The National TVET Policy counted 1,345 TVET institutions in December 2023: 669 public, 652 private and 24 run by state governments.^[2] This guide explains who runs what, how the qualifications stack up, how apprenticeships work, what it costs, and how to get from a skills certificate to a degree if you want one. For the basics first, read TVET after SPM.

Key facts

• Skills qualifications run from SKM Level 1 to 3, then DKM (Level 4) and DLKM (Level 5), all issued by the Department of Skills Development (JPK).^[3]
• Most full-time public skills courses use one free application, UP_TVET. The January 2027 intake closes on 16 November 2026.^[4][5]
• At ADTEC JTM Kuala Lumpur, an SKM Level 3 course comes with free tuition, hostel and meals, plus RM100 a month.^[6]
• SLDN apprentices spend 70 to 80 per cent of their training time at a company, for one to two years.^[7]
• SKM alone does not get you into a degree through UPU. DKM and DLKM holders can apply directly.^[8]

Two kinds of TVET qualification

Two bodies regulate TVET programmes, and it helps to know which one stands behind your course.^[2]

• JPK (Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran) runs the Malaysian Skills Certification system, based on the National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS). It awards SKM, DKM and DLKM, at levels 1 to 5 of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF). Courses run at JPK-accredited centres, public and private.
• MQA (the Malaysian Qualifications Agency) accredits TVET certificates, diplomas and degrees, at MQF levels 1 to 6, run by public and private institutions such as polytechnics and colleges.

The funding follows the same split: PTPK (the Skills Development Fund Corporation) funds JPK-accredited training, and PTPTN funds MQA-accredited study.^[2]

The skills ladder: SKM, DKM and DLKM

These are JPK's five levels.^[3] To join a higher SKM level you normally need the level below it in the same field, and each centre can add its own conditions.^[3] You can earn the certificates three ways: training at a JPK-accredited centre; industry-based training that mixes the workplace and an institute (Akademi Dalam Industri, ADI); or recognition of prior achievement (PPT), where assessors check evidence of skills you already have from work or training.^[3]

So check where a course starts before you apply. At ADTEC JTM Kuala Lumpur, the SKM Level 3 computer systems course takes Form 5 leavers with BM and Sejarah, or people with no formal qualifications who can read and write.^[6] Its SKM Level 3 automotive course, by contrast, asks for SKM Level 2 in a related field.^[9]

Who runs what

ADTEC JTM campuses (the former ILPs)

The Ministry of Human Resources runs 33 TVET institutions; its first was ILP Kuala Lumpur, opened in 1964.^[10] In the TVET course catalogue, the former Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) are now listed as ADTEC JTM campuses, for example "ADTEC JTM Kampus Kuala Lumpur (ILP Kuala Lumpur)".^[11] At the Kuala Lumpur campus, for example, courses include SKM Level 3 programmes in electrical wiring, automotive service and computer systems.^[6][12][9] One example: the 24-month SKM Level 3 three-phase electrical wiring course at the Kuala Lumpur campus asks for an SPM pass in BM, Sejarah, Mathematics and a science or technical subject, and takes applicants aged 17 to 35.^[12]

IKBN and IKTBN (Ministry of Youth and Sports)

The Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) and Institut Kemahiran Tinggi Belia Negara (IKTBN) are the ministry's skills institutes. The ministry says its courses take 18 to 36 months, run from Level 1 to Level 5, and lead to JPK certificates: SKM, diploma and advanced diploma.^[13] Its campus list includes IKBN Kinarut in Sabah and IKBN Miri in Sarawak.^[14]

TVETMARA and GiatMARA (MARA)

On 27 January 2026, MARA's skills institutes (IKM), higher skills colleges (KKTM) and the MARA-Japan Industrial Institute (MJII) were renamed TVETMARA.^[15] In the catalogue, TVETMARA courses include DKM-level diplomas, such as a 36-month Diploma in Manufacturing Engineering (Industrial Automation and Robotics) at TVETMARA Kuantan.^[16] Some TVETMARA courses are for Bumiputera applicants only: TVETMARA Johor Bahru's DKM in electronic product manufacturing, for example, asks for Bumiputera status and either SKM Level 2 in a related field or SPM with a pass in BM and Sejarah and two credits.^[17] TVETMARA applications go through UP_TVET.^[18]

GiatMARA is MARA's grassroots training network, funded by the government through MARA.^[19] It offers 39 types of course in 12 clusters, from mechanical and electrical to culinary, fabric and hairdressing.^[19] Applicants must be Bumiputera, aged 15 or over, and able to read and write.^[20] Certificates include SKM and Energy Commission wiring certificates.^[21] At GiatMARA Batu Pahat, for example, the SKM Level 3 computer systems course takes students in January and July and lists an allowance of RM200 a month, subject to conditions and funding.^[22] GiatMARA also takes online applications on its own system.^[23]

Polytechnics, community colleges and technical universities (Ministry of Higher Education)

Community colleges offer certificates and diplomas, polytechnics offer diplomas and bachelor's degrees, and the four universities of the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) offer diplomas up to PhDs.^[10] There were 36 polytechnics and 106 community colleges in the 2026/27 UPU circular.^[24] SPM leavers can apply through UPU: a polytechnic or community college certificate needed 1 credit and a pass in BM and Sejarah in 2026/27.^[24] Tuition was RM200 a semester for the 2023/24 intake.^[25] See Diplomas for the full entry rules.

State skills centres

The TVET portal lists centres run by state governments and statutory bodies, such as the Johor Skills Development Centre (PUSPATRI), KISMEC in Kedah, and FutureTech Academy in Penang (formerly the Penang Skills Development Centre, PSDC).^[26] Ask any centre which employers take its trainees.

Private TVET providers

In December 2023, 652 of the country's TVET institutions were private.^[2] A private skills centre can be accredited by JPK, and a private college's TVET programme by MQA.^[2] Before you pay, check the centre on MySPIKE, JPK's system that lists accredited centres and programmes,^[27] or the programme on the MQA register(opens in a new tab).

Kolej Vokasional

Kolej Vokasional (KV) entry starts at Form 4, through a test called PKSK, so it is usually not a route once you have sat SPM.^[28]

Learning on the job: SLDN apprenticeships

The National Dual Training System (Skim Latihan Dual Nasional, SLDN), also called Akademi Dalam Industri (ADI), trains you mostly at a company.^[7]

• 70 to 80 per cent is practical training at the sponsoring employer, and 20 to 30 per cent is theory and basic skills at a training institute.
• It lasts one to two years, or as JPK decides.
• Apprentices are Malaysian citizens and SPM or PMR leavers shortlisted by the employer.
• Employers registered with HRD Corp can claim an apprentice allowance of RM500 a month per apprentice, and RM100 for registering the Malaysian Skills Certificate.

The HRD Corp page describes what employers can claim, not what you will be paid, so ask the employer for your monthly allowance in writing. MySPIKE lists the ADI apprenticeship centres that offer SLDN.^[27]

How and when to apply

• UP_TVET Perdana (full time): intakes in January and July; July applications open after SPM results.^[18] You choose one to five courses, applying is free, and you can accept only one offer.^[5] The January 2027 intake takes applications from 1 October to 16 November 2026, with offers from 17 to 27 November.^[4]
• Polytechnics and community colleges: through UPU, or directly on the MyPOLYCC portal. For Session II 2026/2027, direct applications were open to SPM leavers and to holders of SKM Level 2 or 3 and IKM certificates.^[29]
• GiatMARA: through UP_TVET or GiatMARA's own online application.^[22][23]
• Age limits differ by course: 17 to 35 at ADTEC JTM Kuala Lumpur, 17 to 30 at IKBN Wakaf Tapai, and from 15 at GiatMARA.^[6][30][20]

What it costs

Each institution sets its own allowances, and each course page shows its fees and allowances.^[5]

For private training, fees vary. The Budget 2027 speech set aside RM500 million through PTPK to fund trainees at PTPK-registered public and private skills institutes.^[31] PTPK support is a loan: its MyPerkasa TVET app is where borrowers check their loan and repay it.^[32] JPA's Dermasiswa B40 grant covers TVET diplomas for SPM leavers from low-income families.^[33]

From skills to a degree

TVET can lead to a degree, but the route matters.

• UPU does not take SKM holders directly. You first complete a diploma at a community college, polytechnic or another MQA-recognised institution, through that institution's own intake. DKM and DLKM holders can apply through UPU in category E1.^[8]
• Polytechnics and community colleges accept SKM Level 2 and 3 holders for their diplomas and certificates through the MyPOLYCC portal.^[29]
• Polytechnics run bachelor's degrees, and the MTUN universities offer study up to PhD.^[10]
• In January 2026 the Deputy Prime Minister said TVETMARA graduates can continue up to PhD level at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).^[15]
• The National TVET Policy says TVET graduates can in principle continue to higher levels, subject to each university's own Senate requirements.^[2]

What this means for you

• Start from the work you want to do, then find the course. The same field can run at more than one provider: SKM Level 3 computer systems, for example, is taught at both ADTEC JTM Kuala Lumpur and GiatMARA Batu Pahat, with different entry rules and allowances.
• Read where a course starts. Some SKM Level 3 courses take SPM leavers; others need SKM Level 2 first.
• Check the fine print: age limits, Bumiputera-only courses, and whether the allowance is guaranteed or "subject to funding".
• Allowances of RM100 to RM300 a month help, but they are not a wage. Plan how you will cover phone, transport and personal costs.
• If a degree is your goal, aim for a DKM or a polytechnic or community college diploma. SKM alone will not get you through UPU.

Your next step

1. Search the TVET course catalogue(opens in a new tab) for your field and state, open three course pages from different providers, and note the entry rules, length, age limit and allowance of each.
2. For a January 2027 start, apply on mohon.tvet.gov.my(opens in a new tab) by 16 November 2026. Ask the institute which employers take its trainees and what they earn, and write down who told you.