MARA-sponsored students living allowance paper to be presented to Cabinet soon

He said the study not only involved the rate of living allowance for students in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan, but also involved students in the country.

He added that the study was considering that many students were affected by the cost of living in the countries concerned, involving electricity, water, gas, public transport and house rental costs.

"In the past, one person could rent a place for (around) GBP80 (RM433.88) to GBP120 (RM650.83) a week, (but) now you can't get that price," he said when met by reporters after closing the Career in Engineering and Technology Seminar and Exhibition, here today.

In another development, he said the marketability of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates and professionals produced by MARA has reached 94 per cent, thus proving that graduates of the MARA educational institutions (IPMA) have holistic characteristics and high basic skills that meet the needs of industry.

Meanwhile, regarding today's programme, Mahdzir said more than 1,500 job opportunities in the field of engineering and technology were offered by 10 companies to MARA graduates, with a total of 1,200 graduates having been matched with careers.

He said about 3,000 MARA students and graduates attended the two-day programme to find their career matches.

MARA's career matching initiative is part of the Keluarga Malaysia Agenda, under the JaminKerja Keluarga Malaysia, which focuses on a few main programmes including Malaysia Short-term Employment Programme (MySTEP), and upskilling and re-skilling programmes (Upskill Malaysia).

"The organisation of a programme like this is in line with the government's efforts to reduce the unemployment rate of Bumiputera graduates, by reducing the problem of mismatch between fields of study and scope of work in industry.

"The government is always committed to providing employment opportunities for graduates, and I believe that MARA's continuous efforts will ensure that Bumiputera graduates do not drop out, and secure jobs according to their qualifications," he said.