Kuala Lumpur, 25 April 2025 – HELP University is proud to announce a strategic partnership with the National Institute of Public Administration (Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara, INTAN) to enhance educational opportunities for civil servants through the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for the Award of Academic Qualifications (APEL.Q) pathway. This collaboration supports the national agenda outlined in Belanjawan 2025, themed “Membugar Ekonomi, Menjana Perubahan, Mensejahtera Rakyat”, presented by the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. A key feature of the budget is the Tuition Assistance Initiative, which supports civil servants pursuing further studies through APEL.Q.
Under this initiative, the government will subsidise 50% of tuition fees or up to RM15,000 for civil servants who have served for more than 15 years. This is a significant step in recognising experiential learning and promoting accessible, flexible education for the public sector.
HELP University, selected by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) in 2020 as one of the four pioneering institutions to implement APEL.Q has since launched eight MQA-approved academic programmes, ranging from diploma to doctoral levels. More programmess are in the pipeline to meet growing national demand.
Currently, over 200 learners have enrolled in HELP’s APEL.Q programmes. These include C-suite executives, senior government officials, company directors, and successful entrepreneurs from both the public and private sectors, some of whom are affiliated with regional conglomerates and Nasdaq-listed companies. Many bring with them decades of leadership experience and are now leveraging the APEL.Q pathway to gain formal academic recognition for their extensive professional achievements.
The partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Professor Dr. Liew Teik Kooi (Andy), Vice Chancellor of HELP University, and Datuk Dr. Mohd Zabri bin Yusoff, Director of INTAN. Witnessing the signing were Dr. Wan Baharuddin Wan Mahmood, INTAN Deputy Director (Office of Programme and Potential Assessment), and Encik Afdzal Hasmi Tan Sri Abu Hassan, Director of the APEL Centre at HELP University. The ceremony was graced by Professor Datuk Dr. Paul Chan, Chancellor and Co-Founder of HELP University.
HELP University Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Liew Teik Kooi (Andy) stated:
“There are thousands of civil servants whose years of dedicated service reflect deep expertise and unwavering commitment. Many of them may not have had the opportunity to pursue higher education earlier due to earlier family, work and personal commitments. The APEL.Q pathway now provides these professionals with a second chance, a dignified and flexible route to gain formal academic recognition for their prior learning and real-world experience, without having to go through the traditional academic track. Our partnership with INTAN is grounded in a shared mission to make higher education more inclusive, equitable, and aligned with the realities of today’s workforce.”
In addition to expanding access to higher education through APEL.Q, this collaboration will also strengthen joint efforts in several key areas. These include the development of specialised training and professional development courses, collaborative research and innovation initiatives, scholarly writing and publications, academic consultancy services, and the promotion of knowledge-sharing practices across the higher education sector.
Since its launch in July 2021, APEL.Q has been a transformative initiative, opening doors to formal qualifications without requiring professionals to relearn what they already know. This partnership signifies HELP University’s and INTAN’s joint commitment to supporting the Government’s human capital development efforts through strategic, accessible, and meaningful lifelong learning pathways.
For more information, please visit:
📌 INTAN APEL.Q Portal: https://www.intanbk.intan.my/iportal/ms/penjawat-awam-apelq/borang-permohonan-apel-q
📌 HELP University APEL.Q Page: https://apelq.help.edu.my/?gclid=CjwKCAjwuMC2BhA7EiwAmJKRrPkSt8SmAgepTTj21WA7gzctnc1epBbmSr4fU8TGSl3VDL9O5s-NCBoCyU4QAvD_BwE
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For further information, please contact:
Ms Saisundary Sundra Kumar
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Public Relations
HELP Tertiary
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About HELP University
HELP University was founded in 1986, and it has developed into a leading institution of higher learning in Malaysia. HELP University offers a wide range of social science, and humanities programmes, and is renowned for its psychology, accounting, business, law, education, and IT programmes. The university has embarked on a transformation journey to become the Analytics-Driven Entrepreneurial University.
In 2019, HELP University was awarded the Premier Digital Tech Institution (PDTI) status by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) for being a leading digital tech-focused institution that produces high quality graduates for the workforce.
In 2020 it was awarded an overall 5 Stars rating by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) an annual publication of university rankings. QS also awarded 5 Stars to HELP for the following categories: Teaching, Employability, Academic Development, Internationalisation, Facilities, Social Responsiveness, Inclusiveness, and Business and Management Studies (MBA). In 2021, HELP University was ranked No 1 among 650 universities in Asia for Outbound Student Exchange programmes by QS Rankings World University Ranking: Asia 2021. Besides standing as MDEC’s Premier Digital Tech Institution, HELP University was rated BERDAYA SAING (Competitive), the highest category, by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2022, and awarded the Employers’ Choice of University by Talenbank in 2025.
Visit https://university.help.edu.my for more information on HELP University.