Rural youth should not remain in their comfort zones but instead seek wider opportunities to gain knowledge, experience and exposure that can help transform their own futures as well as those of their families, communities and the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said young people from rural areas should take advantage of opportunities to pursue further education, work in cities or gain professional experience overseas to strengthen their capabilities.
“If there is an opportunity to study in Kuala Lumpur, go for it. If there is a good job opportunity in Johor, take it. If you have the chance to gain experience overseas, go and see the world.
“Sometimes, we need to step outside in order to become better,” he said at the 2026 Rural Youth Convention here today.
Ahmad Zahid stressed that young people leaving their hometowns to build careers did not mean they had to sever ties with their rural communities. Instead, the knowledge, skills and networks they gained could later be channelled back to help their communities of origin.
He said, for example, engineers could share their expertise, entrepreneurs could help local businesses access wider markets, while those with financial resources could create new opportunities for people in their hometowns.
“Returning does not necessarily mean coming back physically. What matters is the value we bring back to our communities,” he said.
At the same time, Ahmad Zahid called for the perception that the rural economy was limited to agriculture, livestock farming, handicrafts and homestays to be changed.
He encouraged rural youth to explore emerging, high-value industries such as semiconductors, software development, drone operations, digital design, green energy and automation as technology and artificial intelligence continue to reshape the employment landscape.
Ahmad Zahid said Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was an important pathway for rural youth to develop skills demanded by industry. The TVET ecosystem under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry currently comprises 281 institutions offering 588 skills programmes to more than 70,000 students.
He added that the graduate employability rate within the ecosystem stood at around 96.2 per cent. However, young people should ensure their skills enabled them to solve real-world problems and create value rather than simply relying on qualifications.
Ahmad Zahid also highlighted that youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 remained at around 10 per cent, compared with approximately three per cent for the country’s overall unemployment rate.
In his message to rural youth, Ahmad Zahid outlined four key principles — “Go, Master, Create and Return” — urging them to leave their comfort zones, master a particular field, create value and eventually give back to their communities through knowledge, time, networks and opportunities.
