Exploring Digital Competency Needs for Robotics Integration in Malaysian TVET Education: A Narrative Review

This narrative review explores the digital competency needs required for effective robotics integration in Malaysian Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The review synthesizes existing evidence on the digital competencies expected of TVET educators, examines the challenges associated with robotics implementation in teaching and learning, and identifies future directions for research and professional development. The increasing adoption of robotics technologies driven by Industry 4.0 and Education 4.0 has heightened expectations for TVET institutions to produce graduates equipped with relevant digital and technical competencies. However, robotics integration in Malaysian TVET remains constrained by varying levels of educators’ digital competence, limited pedagogical readiness, insufficient professional development opportunities, and disparities in institutional infrastructure and policy support. A narrative review approach was employed by examining peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, government reports, policy documents, and international competency frameworks published primarily between 2019 and 2025. The selected literature was analyzed thematically to identify recurring concepts, emerging trends, research gaps, and practical implications. The review identified six key themes underpinning effective robotics integration, namely digital literacy, pedagogical competence, technical proficiency, curriculum alignment, institutional readiness, and continuous professional learning. The findings indicate that successful robotics integration requires educators to possess not only technical knowledge of robotics systems but also the pedagogical competencies needed to design technology-enhanced learning environments. The review further highlights inconsistencies in digital competency standards across institutions, limited empirical evidence on robotics competencies among Malaysian TVET educators, and inadequate alignment between existing competency frameworks and robotics-related teaching practices. Overall, this review provides an integrated understanding of the digital competency requirements necessary for sustainable robotics integration in Malaysian TVET and offers practical insights for policymakers, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and TVET institutions in strengthening digital readiness, informing competency framework development, and guiding future professional development initiatives.