PEKAN - Programme improvement and expanding student recruitment efforts in technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) are among the focuses of the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN), said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The technical-based universities under MTUN are Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTem) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).
Mohamed Khaled said the four universities were given the responsibility to provide more places for students to further their studies in the Tvet fields to meet the industries’ increasing demand in addition to supporting national development.
"... in a year we can provide around 12,000 places in MTUN with an estimate of 3,000 in each university whilst there are around 200,000 or 300,000 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) school leavers and matriculation students.
"In addition, we also want MTUN to provide a high-level Tvet programme to meet the needs of the industries," he said after a working visit and a closed-door briefing with the UMP management here today.
Also present were UMP board chairman Tan Sri Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman and its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Yuserrie Zainuddin.
Mohamed Khaled said MoHE has strongly emphasised the need for universities to establish close relations with the industries because both parties need to work together.
"This relationship not only help to improve marketability but it enables universities to present solutions to issues and challenges faced by the industries and introduce new technologies or products for industrial use.
"The university needs the industries so that it continues to be relevant by offering programmes required by the industries while also helping to produce skilled workers for the industries to remain competitive," he said.
Mohamed Khaled said that in addition to industrial training, there are other platforms that can be implemented between universities and the industry such as the strategic collaboration by UMP through the UMP-Bosh Rexroth Academy.
The collaboration, among other things, involves industrial training, student exchange and offering courses using German industry 4.0 certification training module as a reference. - BERNAMA