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The areas of cooperation to be focused on include the development and improvement of programme modules, professional training and certification, knowledge and expertise sharing, as well as research and innovation.
Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE's) and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement, inked on Tuesday (7 May 2024), further supports the aspirations of the MADANI Economy, the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), as well as the Malaysian Higher Education Action Plan 2022 - 2025, which aims to create graduates and skilled talent to crown Malaysia among the 30 largest economies in the world by 2033.
Accordingly, the ceremony also witnessed the exchange of an MOU based on skilled workforce development between MOHE and three leading companies involved in the high-tech industry, namely:
- Micron Memory Malaysia
- Stellantis Gurun (Malaysia)
- Inari Technology
In a joint statement, both MOHE and MIDA said the collaboration underscores ongoing efforts in boosting collaboration between the academic and industry sectors to increase the marketability of graduates and the competitiveness of the Malaysian industry.
Among the areas of cooperation outlined in the MOU include the development and improvement of programme modules, professional training and certification, knowledge and expertise sharing as well as research and innovation.
Per the statement, the collaboration "can further strengthen the goal of the country's national agenda to increase Malaysia's competitiveness globally, in addition to being able to create a dynamic ecosystem to unearth local talent and encourage socio-economic development to drive the growth of the country's industry."
This event also saw the launch of the MOHE Research and Industry-Infused Incubator (MRI3) portal — a collaboration between the Universiti Malaysia Electrical and Electronics Consortium (CEE), comprising 19 public universities together with 27 companies to develop talent with knowledge and skills aligned with the needs of the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry.
The recently launched portal enables the industry to advertise industry training offers, a list of final year project focus areas and screen students. Students can also utilise the portal to make applications and upload a resume.
Together, both of these initiatives are part of efforts to address the issue of mismatch between the skills possessed by the generated workforce and industry needs, as well as help ensure job security and marketability of graduates with better wages. Through this effort, MIDA and MOHE hope to further strengthen cooperation to meet the demand for skilled labor required by the industry.
Speaking on the importance of the MOU exchange at the launch, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Abdul Azizi emphasised: "Talent education is an important element in the ecosystem of industrial development and national economic progress. In order to meet the rapid demand of the industry, the MOU between MIDA and MOHE aims to develop human capital that is not only highly skilled in the technical field, but also has adaptive skills to the changing global economic climate.
"A trained and competitive workforce is key to the success of NIMP 2030, and this strategic collaboration with MOHE is a catalyst for a more resilient Malaysian industry at the global level."
As Minister Zafrul shared in his speech, a total of 150,000 job opportunities have been created through 2,386 approved manufacturing projects for the period 2021 - 2023 — of this, over 81% have been implemented.
"Most of these opportunities are for high-paying skilled roles for Malaysians. This momentum needs to be maintained and the signing of this MOU is very important in facilitating the employment needs of the industry whether by foreign investors or local investors."
Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir also spoke: "Through this collaboration, MIDA will provide information on the labour needs of the industry, especially foreign and local investors, so that KPT and higher education institutions can prepare and plan to meet these needs.
"Through access to accurate information, we can ensure that talent production by higher education institutions is responsive to the needs of the ever-evolving job market. This advantage needs to be utilised to streamline the talent matching process, reduce inefficiencies and connect individuals with opportunities that align with their abilities and aspirations."
Lead image / Ministry of Higher Education Facebook
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