Stakeholders' Perspectives on Vocational Education Commercialization in Malaysia

Seven studies examining technical and vocational education in Malaysia present a multifaceted picture of commercialization from the perspective of industry stakeholders. Industry participants stress that aligning TVET curricula with market demands through collaborative curriculum design, work‐based learning, and strategic partnerships address skill gaps and supports workforce development. We searched across over 562 academic papers from the Semantic Scholar corpus, Web of Science, Taylor & Francis Online, Science Direct, Scopus (A&I), ERIC, ProQuest Dissertation & Google Scholar. We retrieved the 50 papers most relevant to the query. Papers were screened based on specific inclusion criteria, including geographic scope, commercialization focus, stakeholder perspective, study design, development outcomes, evidence base, commercialization content, and data source. Purposive sampling was used to ensure diverse representation of stakeholders by experience. Data were coded thematically using software such as NVivo, interpreted by identifying patterns across stakeholder groups, and validated through triangulation, member checking, and expert review to ensure credibility and reliability. In several accounts, such partnerships yielded practical training, knowledge transfer, and long‐term economic benefits, while government initiatives—such as incentive schemes and formal corporatist models, aim to boost industry engagement. At the same time, stakeholders highlight a range of challenges. Reports noted limited participation by certain corporate actors, difficulties arising from cultural differences, geographical mismatches, and divergent expectations between industry and TVET providers, as well as high-cost barriers that complicate resource allocation. Taken together, these findings portray TVET commercialization as a promising yet complex strategy for national development, one that depends on improved stakeholder engagement and robust collaboration frameworks.