The average marketability rate of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates is higher than those of higher institutes of education who chose the academic field.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said based on last year's statistics, the growth of TVET was between seven to eight per cent a year which surpassed the academic stream of only two to three per cent.

"The marketability of Community College students is 97 per cent, Polytechnic students at 88 per cent while university students is at 76 per cent.

"This will become a stimulus for students not only to choose academic stream but also TVET as both are mainstream education so there is no question of a second choice because both are required by the country," he said.

He told reporters this after presenting the Higher Education Ministry-Malaysian Academic Publication Council (MAPIM) 2016 award here last night.

On the MAPIM-KPT 2016, Idris, who is also Besut Member of Parliament, hoped it would motivate the academicians in scholarly pursuits to continue producing high quality works to educate the public.

He said MAPIM had a great responsibility to uphold the culture of reading among Malaysians.

-- BERNAMA