CARSOME Academy Marks 5 Years of Automotive Education

CARSOME Academy is marking its fifth anniversary with more than RM2 million in financial support, scholarships and development funding aimed at helping Malaysians build careers in the automotive industry. The milestone is accompanied by new partnerships and training programmes designed to give students stronger practical skills and clearer pathways into employment.

The Academy, established in 2021, has positioned itself as an industry-led technical and vocational education and training provider focused on automotive skills. Its latest commitments reflect a broader effort to expand access to relevant training, particularly for young people seeking careers in vehicle inspection, sales, aftersales and related roles.

A central part of the anniversary package is the RM1.65 million Accelerate with TVET Programme. The initiative is anchored by Maybank Islamic Berhad, with matching contributions from Bank Negara Malaysia, CARSOME Academy and Etiqa General Takaful. The programme is intended to widen access to industry-relevant TVET education for Malaysians interested in automotive careers.

Maybank Islamic CEO Mohamad Yasin Abdullah said TVET can equip Malaysians with practical skills while creating stronger connections between education and employment. The partnership between CARSOME Academy and Maybank Islamic has been formalised through a memorandum of understanding supporting scholarships and greater access to automotive TVET programmes.

The Selangor State Government is also continuing its support. More than RM350,000 in scholarships will be provided for Asnaf and B40 students through IKTISASS and Yayasan MBI. Selangor State Exco for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Bin Halimi said the state government would keep working with CARSOME Academy to develop automotive talent and contribute to Selangor’s economic growth.

CARSOME Group is contributing an additional RM150,000 towards scholarships. Combined with other funding and development commitments, the Academy’s overall support package exceeds RM2 million.

Beyond financial assistance, the Academy is expanding opportunities for real-world experience. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with JETOUR Automobile Malaysia to create more work placements and practical job opportunities for students and graduates. The collaboration will cover vehicle inspection, sales and aftersales. Both organisations plan to develop trainee programmes that allow students to gain hands-on experience in actual automotive work environments.

JETOUR Malaysia Vice President Nicholas Ng said greater industry exposure can help bridge the gap between classroom learning and the realities of working in the automotive sector. The partnership is intended to connect formal TVET training more directly with employment pathways.

Since its establishment in 2021, CARSOME Academy has registered 593 students, with 90 percent securing employment within three months of completing their programmes, according to the organisation. It has also trained more than 8,000 employees, developed over 500 leaders and supported 280 scholarship recipients.

The Academy’s work now spans five main areas: vehicle inspection, TVET, corporate training, talent and job matching, and industry partnerships. This multi-track approach allows it to serve both individual learners seeking career entry and companies looking to upskill existing staff.

In a further expansion of its academic offerings, the Academy is introducing two new automotive sales TVET programmes,  Certified Sales Professional and Certified Sales Excellence. CARSOME Academy describes these as the first known industry-led TVET programmes of their kind in Malaysia. They combine practical automotive sales training with nationally recognised Malaysian Skills Certificate, or SKM, certification. The programmes are designed to prepare students for roles that require both technical product knowledge and customer-facing skills.

CARSOME Academy CEO and CARSOME Group co-founder Teoh Jiun Ee said the organisation’s experience over the past five years had shown how industry-led training could turn education into real career opportunities. He noted that the Academy’s track record on employment outcomes reflected the value of programmes closely aligned with employer needs.

The anniversary comes at a time when Malaysia continues to emphasise TVET as a pathway to skilled employment and industrial competitiveness. Automotive-related roles remain an important part of the country’s manufacturing and services landscape, creating demand for workers who combine technical competence with workplace readiness. Industry partnerships of the kind announced by CARSOME Academy are often cited as a way to reduce the gap between training content and job requirements.

By combining scholarships, structured TVET programmes, employer placements and nationally recognised certification, the Academy is seeking to offer students a more complete route from training to employment. Support targeted at B40 and Asnaf students also aims to broaden access for learners who might otherwise face financial barriers.

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As CARSOME Academy enters its next five years, its focus remains on developing a stronger and more future-ready automotive workforce. The new funding commitments, state-backed scholarships and industry collaborations with Maybank Islamic and JETOUR are intended to expand both the number of students who can enrol and the quality of practical experience they receive before entering the job market.

For Malaysia’s TVET ecosystem, the Academy’s fifth-year milestone illustrates how private-sector training providers, financial institutions and state governments can work together to support skills development in a priority industry. The emphasis on employment outcomes, industry exposure and inclusive scholarships will likely remain central to its next phase of growth.