Terengganu: Determined to try something new and change her family's circumstances, an Orang Asli girl from Kampung Berdut in Kuala Krau, near Temerloh, Pahang, chose Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as her career path. Jerantut Community College graduate Isah Yusof, 25, who obtained a Certificate in Aquaculture Technology, said she was confident that TVET was the best pathway for an Orang Asli like herself to build a better future for herself and her family.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Isah expressed her determination to reporters after the 2026 East Zone Polytechnic and Community College Convocation Ceremony (Seventh Session) at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Hall, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. At the ceremony, which was officiated by Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shahar Abdullah, Isah, from the Jahut tribe, was named the recipient of the Pahang Community College-Jerantut Community College Special Award in recognition of her outstanding achievement.
The eldest of four siblings is now working as an operations assistant at the Paya Besar Aquaculture Centre in Pahang, helping to ease the family's financial burden as her father is self-employed while her mother is a housewife. Besides excelling in her studies, Isah was also active in community activities not only at the district and state levels, but also internationally, having served as programme director for Bridging Cultures and Knowledge Through Aquaculture and Community in Songkhla, Thailand, last year.
Meanwhile, Raub Community College student Roslina Rusli, 49, who received the Entrepreneurship Award at the same ceremony, proved that age was no barrier to pursuing her studies in sewing. The mother of four said her inability to afford new clothes for her children had prompted her to study full-time for two years, culminating in her receiving a Certificate in Fashion and Clothing today.
Roslina, who lives in Kuantan, is now kept busy with orders, particularly traditional women's clothing, from customers around Pahang who are satisfied with the quality of her workmanship.