Memandangkan prospek pekerjaan tidak begitu memberangsangkan dalam masa 6-12 bulan yang akan datang (mungkin lebih lama, bergantung kepada bila kita boleh mencipta vaksin Covid-19 serta faktor lain seperti harga minyak sedunia dan kestabilan politik negara), ada baiknya anda, graduan DKM/DLKM/DVM untuk mempertimbangkan untuk menyambung pelajaran ke Tahap 6 (Sarjana Muda) supaya:
1. Peluang kerjaya lebih tinggi (sektor awam memerlukan ijazah untuk kenaikan pangkat ke kumpulan pengurusan dan profesional)
2. Meningkatkan lagi ilmu teknikal anda (sekiranya berhasrat untuk jadi pakar teknikal dalam sesuatu bidang ataupun menjadi pensyarah/penyelidik dalam bidang teknikal anda)
Kredit imej: UMP News
3. Menambahkan ilmu pengurusan anda (sekiranya anda berhasrat untuk naik ke pangkat pengurusan ataupun memulakan perniagaan/perusahaan sendiri, contohnya jadi teknopreneur)
Sekiranya anda cuma ada SKM/DVM sahaja ataupun cuma pengalaman industri >3 tahun tetapi tiada sebarang sijil serta bekerja di sektor swasta, anda juga boleh pertimbangkan program URise yang rata-ratanya memberi anda manfaat yang sama seperti No 3 di atas.
Kelebihannya: – Pembelajran gabungan atas talian dan kelas bersemuka (blended learning), – Masa lebih singkat (6 hingga 9 bulan), – Tiada Mata Pelajaran Umum (MPU) – Tiada pra-syarat akademik (cuma perlu Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia 3 ke atas atau pengalaman industri > 3 tahun) – Pendekatan pembelajaran bersifat aplikasi – Halatuju kerjaya – industri – Cara pembelajaran – fleksibel – Persijilan pelbagai – berdasarkan tahap – Yuran penggajian – Ekonomi – Pengeluaran KWSP (epf withdrawal) – Tuntut dari PSMB (HRDF claimable) sekiranya syarikat berdaftar dengan PSMB
Referring to the article published by NST on 3/3/2020, our 21 public-sector universities and 38 private-sector universities produce something like 51,000 graduates a year, but nearly 60% remain unemployed one year after graduation, according to a study in 2018 conducted by the Minstry of Education Malaysia’s Graduate Tracer Study.
There are many factors contributing to this, such as mismatch of skills (most academic programs are based on theory only but not practical in the real world), poor language skills (especially English), interpersonal & communication skills etc.
So, even if you excel academically, academic route may not be the best choice except for certain professional programs like law, medicine, pharmacy etc where academic pathway is the only option.
Under the TVET route, there are hundreds of TVET/skills programs for you to choose from. You may refer to the National Occupation Skills Standards (NOSS) Registry by downloading from the site, as a guide. However, not all programs are offered by the public & private TVET/skills centres, accredited by Department of Skills Development (DSD)@Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran (JPK).
Maklumat TERBARU! (bagi yang ingin jadi pengajar di KV, bidang vokasional) Syarat kelayakan: 1. Ijazah pendidikan 2. Sijil induksi PP-PPD-PPB 3. Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia 3 ke atas 4. Sijil VTO* – Untuk ambil VTO, anda WAJIB ada SKM 3 terdahulu
Untuk masuk Kolej Vokasional (KV), pastikan pelajar tu BETUL2 minat dan betul2 rajin. Bukan ikut kawan.
Di Kolej Vokasional, ramai pelajar yg kecundang tengah jalan sebab tak minat dan tak rajin. Sebab:
1. Bila tak minat, jadi malas. 2. Bila malas, kerja x siap dan bertangguh, serta tak boleh nak catch up. 3. Bila kerja x siap, markah PB (Pentaksiran Berterusan, 70% utk matapelajaran vokasional, 30% utk matapelajaran akademik) rendah. Bila tak mencapai tahap minimum, gagal PB. Gagal PB, sia2 je dtg exam akhir, sebab pointer akan gagal jugak.
Pelajar Kolej Vokasional bukan automatik dapat diploma. Diorg kena lalui 2 tahun sebagai pelajar SVM (pradiploma atau pelajar sijil), bila lulus dengan minimum 3 kredit (2 kredit Vokasional, 1 kredit lg lulus BM setara SPM), baru ditawarkan ke peringkat DVM (Diploma).
Itu pun, bergantung pada prasyarat program. Ada program yg pelajar wajib lulus Matematik, ada yg wajib lulus BI, baru ditawarkan ke DVM. Da diorg wajib lulus satu kursus khas bernama Core Abilities (CA).
Bermakna utk layak ke DVM, wajib: Lulus matapelajaran vokasional minimum 2 sem (1 sem = 1 kredit) Lulus BM setara SPM Lulus CA Pointer minimum 2.67 Vokasional n 2.00 akademik.
Utk yg nak tau ttg sistem pembelajaran di KV, ok begini.
Pelajar sijil wajib menghadiri sesi PDPC dari jam 8-5 (rehat jam 1), manakala pelajar diploma, jadualnya agak relax kebanyakannya paling lewat akan habis kelas jam 4. Tp ni pun bergantung pada program. Sb setiap program, tak sama jam kredit. Pelajar masih ambil matapelajaran akademik:
Untuk SVM: BM (setara SPM) Sejarah (setara SPM) BI Maths (Teknologi atau Sosial, bergantung pada program) Sains (Teknologi atau Sosial, bergantung pada program) Agama/Moral PJ Core Abilities (mcm pelajar SKM di ILP)
Untuk DVM: Pengajian Am Bahasa Komunikasi (Arab/Mandarin) Matematik (bergantung pada program) Sains (bergantung pada program) BI Dan beberapa matapelajaran lg bergantung pada program yg diambil.
Tapi kena tahu juga, yg SEMUA pelajar DIWAJIBKAN untuk terlibat dlm SEMUA aktiviti kolej, tanpa mengira SVM atau DVM. Yuran PIBG, dan asrama pun tiada perbezaan utk pelajar SVM atau DVM.
Kurikulum di KV tak sama dengan SMK. Kami tak guna buku teks sekolah, melainkan BM n Sejarah. Contohnya Akaun, pelajar bukan diajar prisip, tp pelajar terus didedahkan dgn cara utk buat kitaran perakaunan terus. Daripada proses kutip dokumen (pelajar akan pegang dokumen), pemfailan, hinggalah tutup akaun. Dan di peringkat diploma, pelajar akan belajar cara mengaudit akaun yg diorg dh buat tu.
Pelajar KV jugak kena sangat2 rajin. Sebab mcm sy sebut kat atas, diorg ada PB. PB ni diuji dlm kelas, amali n teori. Soalan2 yg digubal dipantau oleh pegawai dari Lembaga Peperiksaan sendiri dari semasa ke semasa. Jd tiada alasan kata KV tak diiktiraf. Pelajar yg kerap tak hadir, akan ketinggalan banyak benda, terutamanya ujian PB. Bila tertinggal, maka gagallah dia.
DVM pulak, syarat2 mcm dekat UA applied di sini. Cthnya kehadiran minimum 80%. Lulus LI. Dan sebagainya.
Selain dari tu, kena tau juga, walaupun pelajar KV dah boleh masuk IPTA, tp sasaran KV adalah utk menghasilkan 70% graduan BEKERJA, bukan utk sambung degree terus. Kalau nak sambung study, kami akan sarankan pelajar utk sambung SKM 4 n 5 berbanding degree, sebab degree lebih kepada teori, berbanding SKM, kurikulumnya lebih sepadan dengan pelajar KV.
Pelajar KV TIADA SPM. Tapi mereka WAJIB ambil BM dan Sejarah Setara SPM yg mana, dua subjek ni boleh digunapakai utk pelajar KV memohon utk bekerja dlm sektor awam menggantikan SPM (ada pekelilingnya). Yg ni, pelajar KV ramai ambil mudah. Sangat ramai pelajar KV gagal dlm dua matapelajaran ni, secara tak langsung, menggagalkan mereka dari sambung ke peringkat DVM jugak.
Tp untuk makluman jugak, SEMUA soalan Penilaian Akhir (final exam) yg diadakan pada setiap hujung semester, adalah dikelola oleh Lembaga Peperiksaan sendiri. Penggubal soalan dan Pemeriksa adalah yg pegawai dilantik oleh LP. Bukan cikgu sendiri yg buat soalan. Even result pelajar pun dikeluarkan oleh LP. Bukan bawah kolej. Yg menentukan pelajar lulus atau gagal, layak ke peringkat DVM pun, LP. Kolej tiada kuasa dlm bab ni.
You or your child may not perform well academically but “WHO YOU CHOOSE TO BE” will make you who you are ― Soothsayer (character from KungFu Panda)
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Human Resources Minister, Datuk Mahfuz Omar wants parents to erase negative perceptions against Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a second choice for weak students compared to conventional academic field.
He said parents should place more confidence and support on their children taking TVET as this field is capable of producing the local manpower needed by the industry and nation to face Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).
“The move is seen as giving confidence to the people in TVET,” he told a question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat here today.
Mahfuz was replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib (BN-Maran) on the statistics of TVET student intake which is still low compared to developed countries such as Germany, Holland and Australia and wanted to know what are the measures taken towards empowering the field.
To empower TVET, Mahfuz said via a 2025 plan under the National Skills Development Council which involved six ministries, his ministry is also focusing on TVET Tahfiz programme as the first step to extend skills training to young Tahfiz students.
“We want to ensure Tahfiz students also have a future to enter the employment sector,” he said.
Mahfuz said he had held a meeting with Kedah State Islamic Religious Council recently which was attended by 70 Tahfiz centre representatives to discuss the government’s plan for Tahfiz TVET
Source: Bernama
Comment:
There are many opportunities ahead for TVET graduates, whether it’s a guaranteed lifeskill to earn a living, establishing a business from the skills acquired & polished through valuable industry experience or furthering study to higher education institutions.
So, what are you waiting for? Find a suitable TVET institution that offers the course that can fulfill your dream!
Besides technical bachelors (Bachelor of Technology), TVET graduates with SKM2, SKM3 or DKM will also have a chance to obtain an executive bachelor in industrial management in a much shorter time frame (9 months) under the URise program that’s being offered by Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, KL together with ISE Education Sdn Bhd. URise program has been specially designed for TVET graduates, hence need not worry that it’s too academic & tough. Blended learning is implemented (online & offline learning at the University) to move with times. *KWSP withdrawal can be done, on top of other payment options like credit card & the latest e-wallets.
KUANTAN: The sky is the limit for Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP). Ranked among the top 800 best universities in the world based on the QS World University Rankings (WUR) 2020, UMP is aiming to become a leader in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country.
Last year, it emerged as the first local technical and non-research university to receive the prestigious QS 5-star overall rating award.
UMP Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff said the university had become a platform to produce a well-trained technical workforce with skills that catered to the future.
This was attributed to the varsity being part of the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) alongside Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
“UMP is strengthening its high-end TVET and moving forward to emerge as the pinnacle for TVET education. We are moving towards producing a home-grown workforce that caters to the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said.
“One is not required to be smart, but skilful and multitalented. It is about learning specific skills through repetitive practice on different equipment, machines or systems.
“We want the public, especially parents, to give importance to TVET as some view it as a back-up option for their children. MTUN helps graduates to become more capable at sophisticated tasks, which will be required for the future job market.”
Wan Azhar said UMP would be offering a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Railway Maintenance) programme to cater to the burgeoning sector.
“As long as there are trains in the country, we will require railway maintenance technologists. We cannot remove these railway infrastructures, so we have to produce a skilled workforce for this sector.”
Dr Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff
In a move to bring out the best of TVET, UMP will carry out a minor restructuring exercise in its campuses in Gambang and Pekan next year.
Wan Azhar said the Gambang campus would be renamed the UMP College of Engineering and College of Management and Humanities, while the Pekan campus would be renamed the College of Engineering Technology and College of Computing and Science.
“We have equipment and facilities in Pekan, and this allows our students to be hands-on when it comes to TVET. UMP Pekan will serve as a technology campus and this is part of our efforts to achieve our goals in TVET.”
UMP graduates are able to secure employment with companies that have business links with Germany following an academic collaboration for a postgraduate degree in mechanical engineering and automotive engineering with the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HsKA).
UMP Chancellor Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will be presenting the scrolls to graduates at the 14th UMP convocation today.
A total of 3,778 graduates will receive their scrolls during the two-day ceremony.
The event will be historic as Tan Sri Dr Abi Musa Asaari Mohamed Nor will be proclaimed as UMP’s pro-chancellor, while HeiTech Padu Bhd executive chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hilmey Mohd Taib will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Information Technology.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaks during the launch of SKIL’19 skill symposium in Putrajaya October 24, 2019. ― Picture by Shafwan Zaidon More skilled and high-paying jobs need to be created for TVET graduates, says minister
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 24 — The Youth and Sports Ministry today exchanged Statements of Understandings with five entities aimed at forging stronger cooperation between the public and private sectors in developing the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) industry.
Witnessed by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, the statements would see the entities play an active role in increasing career opportunities within the sector by offering spots for education and training, while offering technical advice to the ministry.
Among the signatories were Volvo Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sapura Secured Technologies Companies, Malaysia Industry Association, the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad, with the cooperation of the Malaysian Prison Department.
Syed Saddiq later stressed the importance of offering former juveniles and minor crime offenders a second chance to reassimilate into society, saying one solution would be to retrain and up-skill them in opportunities within the TVET industry.
“For those who have been categorised as Individuals Under Observation, Henry Gurney leavers, we will give them a special route for them to be trained so in the end, despite them having a record, but they would be trained, re-skilled and up-skilled.
Henry Gurney Schools were set up under the Juvenile Courts Act 1947 to care for young offenders and provide formal education and rehabilitation for juvenile inmates.
“In the end they are able to be placed in companies that we share a relationship with for the TVET program,” he said after launching the SKIL 19’ Skills Symposium at the Youth and Sports Ministry Podium hall this morning.
Syed Saddiq said this and other efforts would be part of his ministry’s two pronged program, MyFuture Youth and MyFuture Youth Plus, aimed at offering reactive programs for former offenders, and proactive programs for youth who are classified within the risky category.
“For those who are in danger of falling into the group of high risk youths, we will put them through an early intervention program with special routes into TVET programmes.
“There will be long and short courses, and in the end they will be offered a job,” he explained.
He also mentioned the importance of the government’s willingness to accept former offenders into the public service, saying such steps have been brought to the attention of the Cabinet.
The Muar MP also revealed amendments to public service requirements are currently being worked out by the Chief Secretary that will see a leeway be added to consider former offenders to enter the civil service.
“This is important because if we see for those who have been jailed before, and those from Henry Gurney, about 50 to 60 per cent are youth, and a majority of them have committed minor crimes.
“But, because they don’t have targeted assistance, and if we forget or sideline them, they will go back into the community and society where their family also does not take them seriously, and not have a job, no direction in their life.
“If we (the government) are also not willing to help out, in the end they will reoffend and reenter into the same system,” he said.
Syed Saddiq stressed on the importance of breaking their cycle of crime and to offer them a second chance to assimilate back into and be a useful member of a developing society.
Additionally, the minister also added how the negative and derogatory perception towards the TVET industry should stop, and instead instil the culture of treating them as equals on par with graduates from public universities.
“If we see in Germany, the youth there are educated from a young age to understand that TVET is on par with those from public universities.
“In Malaysia, we have to instil this culture into the hearts and minds of the youth, and also the parents, as this is important to ensure that TVET will always be one of the most important growth sectors in the new Malaysia.
“But realising that dream would be impossible without the close cooperation between industry players,” he added.
1. Most of the those that took up TVET courses are because they are academically poor & have no where to go (minority do have good academic grades too) 2. TVET jobs are generally low paying, especially in the initial years. However, with recognised certification, experience & good communication + people skills, income can reach 5 figures, eg like chefs, underwater welder, piping expert (O&G industry) or operating own business like dressmaking, hairdressing & beauty salon, automotive workshops. 3. Lack of coordination between TVET institutions and industry on industrial needs also produced mismatch skills of TVET graduates, hence lower pay.
Courses at universities must keep abreast with market developments and waves of change. -NSTP/Muhd Asyraf Sawal.By Rozana Sani – October 16, 2019 @ 5:17pm
A recent news article citing a list of programmes to be dropped at public universities has raised concern among many quarters.
Students currently pursuing courses involved and their parents were particularly anxious about the status of the said programmes that will no longer be offered by public universities in the country.
Higher Education director-general Datin Paduka Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir was quoted as saying that the department has asked all universities to identify and reshape their academic programmes to enhance students’ job opportunities and be in line with industry needs.
The idea behind the move is essentially to revise strategically and systematically what are currently offered at universities to keep abreast with change and market developments or risk stagnation.
Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) chief executive officer Dr Nurmazilah Mahzan.
As one of the industry voices — Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) chief executive officer Dr Nurmazilah Mahzan ― puts it: “If universities offer courses that are not in demand by industry, there will be a mismatch between demand and supply of labour; this in turn could affect graduate employability and, ultimately, overall economic and social sustainability and wellbeing.”
She said courses offered at universities should be periodically reviewed, revised or improved where possible to produce marketable graduates who can contribute to business, economic and social development.
So how are public universities reacting to this directive and how are they going about the selection process?
CONTINUOUS EXERCISE
Curriculum review and reassessing of programme offerings are the norm among public universities, said spokespersons approached by Higher ED.
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) vice-chancellor Professor Dr Noor Azizi Ismail pointed out that the process started in 2017 when a team of professors were assigned to study the relevancy of programmes offered by local higher education institutions (HEIs).
“At universities, we have a Board of Studies which sits down before any programmes are offered and we are required to review all programmes every three to five years. But now because things change so fast, I would recommend a review be done every three years,” he said.
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) vice-chancellor Professor Dr Noor Azizi Ismail.
At UMK, Noor Azizi said the engagement and involvement of the industry in the development and updating of programmes is key, apart from data from various analyses.
All decisions have to go through the Senate, Board of Directors, the Malaysia Qualification Agencies (MQA), Industry Advisory Panels (IAP) and the Education Ministry.
“Relevance in the context of past, current and future scenario, particularly in the context of IR4.0, are looked at. Data such as demand for the programmes, graduate employability (GE), future demands, national interest and so forth, as well as input from various agencies/industries are also taken into consideration,” he said.
As a result of the discussions carried out by UMK, for example, low value programmes that are important for nation-building such as history and heritage were suggested to be combined with other programmes such as history with law, and heritage with information technology (IT).
“Programmes with low GE such as very specialised science programmes like maths can be combined with economics and physics with computer science to make them more applied and relevant.
“Even Islamic programmes are embedded with science and technology such as biotech to make graduates ready for the halal industry. Based on the findings, we are taking the necessary action,” he said.
Engagement with industry leaders is crucial for the development of university programmes. Seen here is Tony Fernandes, chief executive officer of Air Asia Group at an executive talk held in Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. – NSTP/Ghazali Kori
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) deputy vice-chancellor (Academic & International) Professor Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman said when any curriculum review is done, apart from benchmarking with similar top programmes, market survey, report from industry as external reviewer, needs of stakeholders and the current requirements in the related field are the compulsory parameters set by the Department of Higher Education (JPT).
“From the analyses, we will decide either to change the programme to industry mode as regulated by JPT, to fully overhaul the curriculum, or to hold its offer for the next intake of students. The decision is made by the Senate of UMT, upon thorough evaluation by MQA before it is endorsed by JPT,” he said.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), meanwhile, stated that it takes a number of factors into consideration in addressing or identifying whether a course (or a set of courses) is irrelevant to current industry needs.
“The decision to cease the offering of a programme is not taken lightly and various factors are considered. One example of this exercise is with the development of the Academic Program Competitive Index (IDSPA), a mechanism to measure the relevance and sustainability of an academic programme,” said UiTM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Mohamad Kamal Harun.
Among the parameters measured by IDSPA are graduate employability, the popularity of the programmes, student enrolment, trends and needs of the programme(s) and the demand of the programmes based on data of the national and global workforce.
UiTM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Mohamad Kamal Harun.
Mohamad Kamal said the index indicates the possibility of whether a programme needs to be rebranded or cease to be offered. The justification for a programme to be deemed irrelevant is carefully negotiated and reviewed.
The deleted programmes at UiTM may be rebranded, replaced or combined with new relevant programmes, said Mohamad Kamal.
“The need to enhance the programmes is a priority in ensuring that the programme and its graduates remain relevant to the industry and society. The university is also moving towards the re-designing of academic programmes by creating programmes that are transdisciplinary or hybrid in nature. This is a strategy that is most relevant to current industrial trends and global needs.
Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr M. Iqbal Saripan said that having a couple of programmes dropped from a university is not “a big thing”.
“Universities, especially public universities, must be dynamic and we are responding to the needs of the industry and global shift. The decision to drop any programme is based on the study of the current market needs and indicators such as the popularity of the programmes and the graduate employability, as well as the sustainability of the programmes,” he said.
In the case of UPM dropping two programmes ― Bachelor of Education (Primary School Education and Master in Water Management ― the decision was made last year due to the low number of enrolment for Primary School Education studies. There are no students currently enrolled.
For water management, the decision is to phase it out totally.
The right programmes need to be offered to ensure graduate employability. -NSTP/Danial Saad
“The bachelor’s degree was a one-off programme and not sustainable to keep. We offer the Master of Water Engineering to cater to students interested to study water-related courses,” he said.
He assured that students currently enrolled in programmes that are being phased out will not have their qualifications affected as the qualifications are accredited by MQA.
“The degree will still be recognised,” he said.
The same goes for students of Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), as in other public universities, said its vice-chancellor Professor Dr R. Badlishah Ahmad.
“The decision to drop a programme is not an easy one. Once a programme is dropped, current students still have to complete the whole programme and will graduate. The university will not force students to change their programmes,” he said.
IN THE PIPELINE
According to Universiti Malaya (UM) deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Kamila Ghazali, rather than discussing which programmes will cease to be offered, it would be more productive to talk about the effective new programmes in the revamp.
“We are currently in the process of ensuring that every UM graduate will be technologically-savvy and equipped with various life skills from personal financial literacy to analytics and even artificial intelligence. We call this new initiative Student Holistic Empowerment.
“In this initiative, students will choose courses, as part of their electives, from four subject clusters ― Thinking Matters: Mind & Intellect; Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Intelligence: Heart, Body & Soul; Technology/Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics: i-Techie; and Global Issues and Community Sustainability: Making the World a Better Place.
“This change is timely and will ensure that every graduate of UM is the best that any employer can find. This is our responsibility to our students,” she said.
She emphasised that the Student Holistic Empowerment subject clusters offered with every undergraduate programme will make every programme offered starting in 2020 essentially a new and improved one.
At UMT, programmes are being consolidated into lesser number of new programmes with more generic names according to the National Education Code (NEC), but with higher number of specialisation of study area that give students more options to choose from.
“The new programmes that we have in the pipeline are Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Technology (Naval Architecture), Bachelor of Maritime Operation Management, Bachelor of Nanophysics, Bachelor of Data Analytics, Master in Tropical Biodiversity and Master in Tropical Marine Environment,” said Noor Azuan.
At UiTM, there are a number of new programmes in the pipeline ― Bachelor of Science (Hons) Eco-Technology and Bachelor of Creative Motion Design (Hons), and Diploma in Digital Audio Production, to name a few.
“The programmes are very much designed to be hybrid in nature, industry-based and relevant to the demands of IR4.0 and beyond,” said Mohamad Kamal.
UMK is set to offer two new programmes ― Bachelor of Accounting and a Bachelor of IT.
Noor Azizi said while there are similar courses, UMK’s differentiation this time is the designing and content of the courses are done together with close industry input and involvement and are meant to cater to real industry needs.
As part of the Malaysia Technical University Network (MTUN) which carries the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) agenda, UniMAP is increasing the number of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) programmes.
The programmes in the pipeline are Bachelor of Technology in Automotive with Honours; Bachelor of Technology in Welding with Honours; Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Machining with Honours; and Bachelor of Technology in Building Construction with Honours.
“These programmes are crucial to facilitate students from vocational certification as opposed to Matriculation and STPM qualifications. As MoE has highlighted that UniMAP should offer programmes to cater for vocational and skilled qualification students, therefore, sufficient B.Tech programmes are crucial to be offered by all MTUN universities,” said R. Badlishah.
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) ― another MTUN university ― in a statement to Higher ED said new programmes that are in the pipeline include Bachelor of Technology in the Internet of Things (IOT), Telecommunication (focusing on 5G technology), Cloud Computing and E-Sports. The new programmes are jointly developed with industry leaders in the respective field.
INDUSTRY SAYS
To get insights into what the industry needs and demands, Nurmazilah said it is vital for universities to engage with industry and also professional and regulatory bodies for inputs, updates and direction.
As technology is a key disruptive force, it is vital that academics and universities embrace technology via engagement and advocacy.
“For example, in the context of accounting, while the basics of accounting such as manual double entries form the initial technical foundation, it is equally important that graduates be exposed to critical thinking and analysis as well as IT-related skills such as data analytics.
“Graduates would then be able to use these skills in the workplace to corroborate data and derive conclusions based on their organisation’s financial data and results.
“In addition, graduates must also be trained to understand and interpret accounting standards as they are principle based in nature.
“This requires good command of language as accountants have to be versatile on the application of accounting standards and not merely memorise the standards without proper understanding and thought processes,” she said.
Another example she gave relates to an organisation’s financial ratios.
“In the past, students were tasked with computing or crunching the numbers, rather than the interpretation of financial results which is a higher value-added skill.
“For graduates to be relevant in a world inundated with data which can be crunched by machines, they have to be trained to understand and interpret the results using tools such as analytics.
“This will enable them to provide the necessary value-added analysis and advisory in their organisations, making them relevant and indispensable,” she said.
Ganesh Kumar Bangah, chairman of the National Tech Association of Malaysia, said the main challenge that the IT industry often faces is not being able to find a candidate who fits into the technical roles they look for.
National Tech Association of Malaysia chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah.
“There is often a mismatch between what we need and what the public university produces in their graduates. Their learning syllabus does not fit the requirements of today or tomorrow. This leads to the industry having to source for talents from private universities that have adopted a more current or up-to-date programmes for students,” he said.
One of the immediate areas that can be addressed is for public universities to take part in industry projects, and include representatives of the industry to co-teach the students. Universities can also opt to partner MNCs or any of the tech companies like some private colleges are already doing.
“While we understand the constraints of universities on policies etc, these policies need to change to accommodate the needs of today’s demands. Even the government is now moving into Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0), the graduates will need to prepare themselves well.
“They can only do this if they get the right programmes, skills and training from the universities to become employable. Not only should students be academically ready but their social skills should also be improved, which covers their ability to speak and converse with people, be socially-inclined and can converse confidentially on various topics, too,” he concluded.
TVET training and qualifications are looked down upon by many Sarawak parents as being inferior to academic qualifications. (Bernama pic)
KUCHING: Sarawakians do not have high regard for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) qualifications, a state minister said today.
State Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Michael Manyin said TVET training and qualifications were looked down upon by parents as being inferior to academic qualifications.
School leavers also did not place much value on TVET training, he said during the closing ceremony of Worldskill Malaysia Sarawak 2019.
“Every year, Sarawak has between 35,000 and 38,000 school leavers with SPM qualifications and of these only about 20,000 to 25,000 further their studies in tertiary institutions or do skills training in TVET institutions.
Michael Manyin.
“Between 10,000 and 15,000 of these SPM school leavers do not undertake any further studies or training and enter directly into the job market often doing jobs that pay low wages and have little prospect for advancement,” he said.
Manyin said even though there was a huge demand for skilled workers and there were institutions offering courses in these trades, most of them were either under enrolled or had no takers.
Therefore, he said, it was the state education, science and technological research ministry’s main agenda to promote TVET and skills training as an equally attractive career development pathway.
Among the initiatives taken were through the Sarawak career and training fair, TVET symposium and TVET camps.
Another key programme by his ministry to raise the status of TVET was through the Worldskill Malaysia Sarawak competition, which is organised once in two years, he said.
The Worldskill Malaysia Sarawak was held to recognise and acknowledge the skills and competencies of Sarawak’s youths and to raise awareness about the value of vocational education and training as well as careers for those with skills training.
Comment: Well, not only Sarawakians look down on TVET, it’s the society in general, not limited to Malaysia but other developing countries as well. Not easy to change the social stigma of the public as it’s been drilled in most parents mind that TVET is only for dropouts & those who are academically poor. And perhaps some jobs are deemed to be 3D (dangerous, dirty & difficult) (eg motor mechanics, underwater welding, electrician, construction worker etc).
But with so many academic graduates coming out jobless & statistics showing that TVET graduates are highly employable (>90%), don’t you think that you as either parents or students should give TVET courses & jobs a second look or maybe even the 1st choice, if your interest is, in baking, sewing, woodworking, repairing cars etc?
And now TVET graduates are given the opportunity to even further study to university level with the offering of Bachelor of Technology programs by members of Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) or management related degrees to enable TVET/skill graduates to graduate into management level. Don’t you agree that if you have hard (technical) & soft (management, communication, entrepreneurship) skills, you would be even better that those academic graduates who are mainly only good in non-technical skills?
(From left) Siemens German senior director of foreign sales automation factory Sascha Maenni and Siemens senior vice president and head of digital industries Adam Yee at the Letter of Intent signing ceremony with UniMAP deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Rezuwan Kamaruddin (second from right) and UniMAP dean, Faculty of Engineering Technology Associate Professor Dr Abu Hassan Abdullah (right).
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) diploma holders can now pursue their studies in a new bachelor’s degree program at four universities under the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN).
The Bachelor of Technology (Hons) Degree in Industrial Electronic Automation was introduced at the Letter of Intent (LoI) signing ceremony between Siemens Malaysia and MTUN — Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) recently.
The LoI is a precursor to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will be signed later in October.
UniMAP deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Rezuwan Kamaruddin said that the degree program will provide a path for TVET diploma holders to gain higher academic recognition.
“This is also a platform to produce a highly competent workforce and enhance the students’ skill sets in the future,” he said.ADVERTISING
Siemens Malaysia senior vice president and head of digital industries Adam Yee said that the new degree aims to produce fresh graduates specialised in the roles of system integration.
“It is a truly one-of-a-kind industry-academia collaboration in which the graduates will not only receive their Honours degree certificates but also a professional training qualification from Siemens, which will greatly aid in employment opportunities and careers within different organisations and the industry.
“We will ensure that the resources and training provided are fully sufficient and sustainable so that the universities can do their best in the course delivery,” he said.
According to Yee, in order for the industry to support education, the cooperation with partners in the education sector is highly essential.
“The road to Industry 4.0 is only possible with digitalisation and for that, this requires quality education that is industry-adaptive and skilled human resource.
“In fact, this Bachelor’s degree course is an extension of yet another initiative from our original SITRAIN – Digital Industry Academy program, which was first launched in 2012 when we realise the need to customise training in order to address existing skills gap between the system integrator and end users.
“Being a strong supporter of TVET as a mandatory criterion in the industry infrastructure, we have also established our Siemens Innovative and Resources Training Centre (SIRTC) which encompasses several labs that have been developed for the Industrial Revolution 4.0,” he added.
The degree program will see Siemens’ Total Integrated Automation modules being taught across different disciplines as the syllabus has been co-developed between Siemens Malaysia and the universities.
UTHM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman said that there will also be a two-way Training of Trainers to further reinforce the curriculum.
“Siemens will help to train our lecturer in terms of practical knowledge. At the same time, our lecturers will also provide trainings for Siemens in pedagogical area to ease the process of teaching and learning,” he continued.
UniMAP Faculty of Engineering Technology (Electronic Department) lecturer Ahmad Nasir Che Rosli who has been involved in jointly devising and curating this new program said this collaboration will open up opportunities for the MTUN students to undergo Industrial Attachment with Siemens partners and customers.
“The involvement of industries in developing the curriculum has been very encouraging. We will have a series of workshop and meeting be it at MTUN level or the university level itself,” he said.
Also present at the LoI signing ceremony were representatives from MTUN.
UniMAP and UTHM will be welcoming their new intake of students for this program on September 1 while UTeM and UMP will follow thereafter.
Comments: It’s not just Bachelor of Technology (Hons), TVET or SKM graduates can soon be able to further their qualifications & enable them to rise beyond just a technician, to be in the management level (manager, senior manager, director etc) with management related diploma & degree. You may explore your options here with Unirazak & express your interest by filling up the form if you’re interested to know further.
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 1): The Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) and Siemens Malaysia have inked a landmark collaboration that is set to prepare university graduates for the eventual world of systems integration.
MTUN and Siemens signed a letter of intent today as a symbolic significance that is meant to be a precursor to the memorandum of understanding agreement to be inked later in October.
In a statement today, Siemens said following this letter of intent, a new degree program called the Bachelor of Technology (Hons) Degree in Industrial Electronic Automation will be launched, with the first intake of students to be enrolled on Sept 1.
MTUN is an umbrella network of four universities, namely Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP).
Siemens said ths collaboration is divided into two phases, with the first phase of student enrolment undertaken by UniMAP and UTHM as official pioneers to the start of the course.
It said UniMAP and UTHM will have 30 students each for this September intake, while Phase 2 will follow suit at a later stage for the two other institutions, namely UTeM and UMP.
This industry-education partnership for both MTUN and Siemens marks the first-of-its-kind cooperation that is rare even within the sector, embedding industrial training and software learning into the academic curriculum throughout the student’s degree over 3½ years.
It will see Siemens’ Total Integrated Automation modules being taught across the different disciplines for the syllabus which has been co-developed between Siemens Malaysia and the respective university.
During this time, industrial training will be provided for 1½ years and the two remaining years will be for classroom learning.
Upon graduation, students will be able to earn not just their Honors degree from a locally accredited university but also a professional certification from Siemens as qualified and versatile system integrators.
Siemens Malaysia senior vice president and head of digital industries Adam Yee said the launch of the Bachelor’s degree program is a further extension of the firm’s continuous efforts to its existing Siemens Innovation and Resources Training Center (SITRAIN) program that has already produced many skilled graduates for the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) pipeline sustainability, and reaffirms Siemens as the nation’s preferred technology and education partner for TVET and industry 4.0.
Meanwhile, UniMAP Faculty of Engineering Technology (Electronic Department) lecturer Ahmad Nasir Che Rosli said this collaboration with Siemens Malaysia will open up opportunities for MTUN students to undergo industrial attachment with Siemens partners and customers.
“The involvement of industries in developing the Bachelor of Technology curriculum has been very encouraging. In fact, MTUN has always engaged with the industries right from the start of the development process. Our practice is to have a series of workshops and meetings organized together, be it at MTUN level or the university level itself,” he said.
Source: www.theedgemarkets.coms
Comments: This is indeed a first of it’s kind and hopefully, more TVET industries would collaborate with TVET institutions, government or private, whether at certificate (SKM), diploma level (DKM) or advanced diploma (DLKM)
