BATU PAHAT, 26 July 2025 – From global recognition to driving transformation, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) steps boldly into a new era.
With its official appointment as the UNESCO Chair on TVET Educator’s Competence and Transversal Skills for Professional Development, effective from 30 June 2025 to 30 June 2029, UTHM joins a distinguished group of global universities entrusted by UNESCO to advance TVET, research, innovation, and educational leadership.
With this prestigious four-year role positions, UTHM is at the forefront of shaping the future of technical and vocational education, aligned with the UNESCO Medium-Term Strategy 2022–2029 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Leading this initiative is Emeritus Professor Dr. Jailani Md Yunos, an internationally recognized scholar whose contributions to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) span decades.
As the appointed chairholder, he is now steering this new chapter—transforming recognition into real-world impact.
This chair represents more than just a title; it embodies a mission. The initiative is guided by these three strategic goals:
- Promoting a comprehensive initiative aimed at enhancing transversal skills, including digital safety awareness and ethical integration, within the sphere of TVET.
- Fostering the inclusion of green skills in teacher training programs, ensuring that educators are equipped with the tools and resources to incorporate sustainability principles into their teaching practices.
- Developing and executing a holistic program aimed at promoting gender diversity, and fostering inclusivity, career advancement, and leadership skills among TVET educators and students.
These goals guide the core agenda of the chair, which seeks to transform TVET from conventional training models into a dynamic platform for innovation, inclusion, and global relevance.
It will act as a catalyst for research-driven solutions, international collaborations, and capacity-building initiatives—benefiting TVET educators, institutions, and communities alike.
Established in 1992, the UNESCO Chairs Program now includes more than 950 chairs in over 120 countries, all contributing to the advancement of knowledge in education, science, and culture.
As in Malaysia, UTHM joins an esteemed circle of institutions such as USM, IIUM, APU, and UKM that host chairs in diverse fields ranging from future studies and genetics to intercultural communication and sustainable water infrastructure. In this context, the UNESCO Chair @ UTHM puts the focus on the following areas:
- Green TVET and Sustainable Skills;
- Inclusive TVET with Gender, Ethics, and Institutional Development;
- TVET Digitalization; an
- Transversal Competency Development.
With this appointment, UTHM moves from recognition to leadership, charting a bold path in transforming TVET through innovation, equity, and global collaboration. Hosting the UNESCO Chair in TVET Educator’s Competence and Transversal Skills for Professional Development marks a strategic milestone in shaping future-ready education—technically excellent, ethically grounded, and globally connected.
