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Policies and governance for skills development in the fourth industrial revolution

International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) · Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026) · pp. 1079–1090

DOI
10.11591/ijere.v15i2.29177
ISSN
2620-5440, 2252-8822
Published
2026-04-01
Publisher
Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) has intensified policy concerns regarding the capacity of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems to support future workforce development. While national strategies increasingly emphasize skills development for industry 4.0, less attention has been paid to the governance mechanisms that shape policy coherence and implementation. This study examines skills governance within Malaysia’s TVET system, focusing on how policy alignment, quality assurance (QA), institutional coordination, and industry engagement influence workforce readiness for the 4IR. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were collected through focus group discussions (FGD) with key stakeholders from government agencies, industry, and TVET institutions, and analyzed thematically. The findings identify four key governance dimensions which are security procedures and policies in managing skills data, QA and standards, collaboration policy between institution and industry, and strengthens curriculum developments. Despite strong policy commitments, fragmented governance arrangements continue to constrain the effectiveness of skills development initiatives. By reframing skills development as a governance challenge, this study contributes to policy futures debates and offers insights for strengthening integrated and future-ready TVET governance frameworks in developing economies undergoing rapid socio technical transformation.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

33 authors · 76 co-authorship links · 7 across different organisations

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • Universitas Syiah Kuala
  • National University of Malaysia
  • Samudra University
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Marlissa OmarAffiliation unknown3
Fathiyah Mohd KamaruzamanAffiliation unknown2
Chen ZidiAffiliation unknown2
Sulastri SulastriUniversitas Syiah Kuala1
JulianaUniversitas Syiah Kuala1
SyahrialUniversitas Syiah Kuala1
Ismi ZatyaSamudra University1
Ahmad Rosli Mohd NorAffiliation unknown1
Salleh AmatAffiliation unknown1
Jasmi Abu TalibAffiliation unknown1
Nurul Atiqah Ab RajiAffiliation unknown1
Md Mosharaf HossainAffiliation unknown1
Salwa SuradinAffiliation unknown1
Roszilah HamidAffiliation unknown1
Azrul A. MutalibAffiliation unknown1
Mohd Fakhrul Azizie Mohd ZaidAffiliation unknown1
Bity Salwana AliasAffiliation unknown1
Azlin MoktarAffiliation unknown1
Siti Raudhah M. YusopAffiliation unknown1
Ruhizan Mohamad YasinAffiliation unknown1
Norzaharah Ab HamidAffiliation unknown1
Fathiyah Mohd KamaruzamanAffiliation unknown1
Hutkemri ZulnaidiAffiliation unknown1
Li CaoAffiliation unknown1
Nik Norlaili Jamilah Nik OthmanAffiliation unknown1
Budiman Mahmud MusthofaAffiliation unknown1
Banu Muhammad HaidlirAffiliation unknown1
Diaz PranitaAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) http://ijere.iaescore.com/index.php/IJERE/oai, first harvested 8 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en-US">Policies and governance for skills development in the fourth industrial revolution</dc:title>
	<dc:creator>Saari, Mohd Aizuddin</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Jalaludin, Nur Atiqah</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Rasul, Mohamad Sattar</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Mhd Salim, Mohamad Hidir</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Ashari, Zool Hilmi Mohamed</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">Fourth industrial revolution; policies and governance; skills development; technical and vocational education and training; workforce readiness</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en-US">The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) has intensified policy concerns regarding the capacity of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems to support future workforce development. While national strategies increasingly emphasize skills development for industry 4.0, less attention has been paid to the governance mechanisms that shape policy coherence and implementation. This study examines skills governance within Malaysia’s TVET system, focusing on how policy alignment, quality assurance (QA), institutional coordination, and industry engagement influence workforce readiness for the 4IR. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were collected through focus group discussions (FGD) with key stakeholders from government agencies, industry, and TVET institutions, and analyzed thematically. The findings identify four key governance dimensions which are security procedures and policies in managing skills data, QA and standards, collaboration policy between institution and industry, and strengthens curriculum developments. Despite strong policy commitments, fragmented governance arrangements continue to constrain the effectiveness of skills development initiatives. By reframing skills development as a governance challenge, this study contributes to policy futures debates and offers insights for strengthening integrated and future-ready TVET governance frameworks in developing economies undergoing rapid socio technical transformation.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en-US">Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science</dc:publisher>
	<dc:contributor xml:lang="en-US">Zool Hilmi</dc:contributor>
	<dc:contributor xml:lang="en-US">Department of Skills Development,  Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia.</dc:contributor>
	<dc:date>2026-04-01</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
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	<dc:identifier>https://ijere.iaescore.com/index.php/IJERE/article/view/29177</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.11591/ijere.v15i2.29177</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en-US">International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE); Vol 15, No 2: April 2026; 1079-1090</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2620-5440</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-8822</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.11591/ijere.v15i2</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://ijere.iaescore.com/index.php/IJERE/article/view/29177/15015</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">Copyright (c) 2026 Mohd Aizuddin Saari, Nur Atiqah Jalaludin, Mohamad Sattar Rasul, Mohamad Hidir Mhd Salim, Zool Hilmi Mohamed Ashari</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0</dc:rights>
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