Community college (Malaysia)

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Logo of the Community College Management Sector, MOHE

The community college (Malay: Kolej Komuniti) system in Malaysia provides a wide range of vocational and technical post-secondary education courses within the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF). Disciplines covered include accounting, architecture, construction, engineering, draughting, entrepreneurship, hospitality, personal services, multimedia production, and the visual arts ^[1] ^[2].

Community colleges in Malaysia are administered by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) via the Sektor Pengurusan Kolej Komuniti (English: Community Colleges Management Sector) of the Ministry's Polytechnic and Community College Management Department.

1 Background
2 Qualifications provided
3 Community colleges by state
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Background

Formal vocational and technical training developed in Malaysia with the opening of the Treacher Technical School in Kuala Lumpur in 1906. A system of vocational schools and polytechnics were developed over the years. With the passage of the Education Act 1996, vocational secondary schools were phased out and supplanted by technical secondary schools. Nonetheless a deficit still existed whereby school leavers without sufficient academic achievements were being left out of the mainstream of the education system.

In 2000, the Government approved a proposal by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to establish a network of educational institutions whereby vocational and technical skills training could be provided at all levels for school leavers before they entered the workforce. The community colleges also provide an infrastructure for rural communities to gain skills training through short courses as well as providing access to a post-secondary education. This institutions became known as community colleges. An initial 10 community colleges were established in June 2001 and an additional two were opened before the end of the year.

With the establishment of the MOHE in 2004, the administration of the community colleges were transferred to a specialised department within the new ministry. The adoption of the MQF in 2007 rationalised the various qualifications provided by the education sector in the country and brought the community colleges into the mainstream of the education system ^[3].

[edit] Qualifications provided

At the moment, most community colleges award qualifications up to Level 3 in the MQF (Certificate 3) in both the Skills sector (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia or the Malaysian Skills Certificate) as well as the Vocational and Training sector but the number of community colleges that are starting to award Level 4 qualifications (Diploma) are increasing. This is two levels below a Bachelor's degree (Level 6 in the MQF) and students within the system who intend to further their studies to that level will usually seek entry into Advanced Diploma programs in public universities, polytechnics or accredited private providers.

[edit] Community colleges by state

The original plan of the MOE called for the establishment of community colleges in every parliamentary constituency in Malaysia. Currently, community colleges have been established in the following locations ^[4]: