Following the successful efforts to establish Digital Maker Hubs in 24 schools in 2020, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) have recently embarked on an initiative to scale this model to more schools around the country via public-private-partnerships.
Digital Maker Hubs are spaces to learn and practise digital creativity and innovation or spaces equipped with digital maker facilities and courses, where students can create and invent projects and learn new things using a variety of digital making tools and materials.
Recognising the importance of such spaces, MoE is looking to expand the reach and value of these hubs by partnering with industry players and other like-minded organizations to achieve their target of equipping 188 places with Digital Maker Hubs by end of this year. This includes an additional 9 schools nationwide presently.
The Director of BSTP stated that the MoE has seen promising results from the Digital Maker Hubs via MDEC’s early efforts, specifically in strengthening digital creativity and innovation amongst students. “We are keen to replicate this model in other schools and look forward to more industry players and government agencies coming on board to equip more schools and community places with such tools. MDEC’s initiatives such as this one, are aimed at creating a future-ready workforce, by equipping them with digital skills required to meet the demands of digital jobs,” he said.
The availability of such spaces is key to nurturing the younger generation for future jobs. The World Economic Forum in its 2020 Future of Jobs Report, estimates that 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation by the year 2025, yet 97 million new jobs will be created within the same time frame, largely in roles that require data and digital tech skills.
MDEC, mandated to lead the digital economy into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as the nation progresses towards Malaysia 5.0, first championed and implemented Digital Maker Hubs in 2018, under the #mydigitalmaker Movement. The said movement is a joint public-private-academia initiative to introduce and nurture digital competencies among Malaysian students. It falls under MDEC’s Digitally Skilled Malaysians, a key pillar under the agency’s strategic framework to accelerate the nation’s digital economy vision for the many.
The Head of Digital Skills and Jobs at MDEC stated that despite the pandemic posing challenges in education and talent development, MDEC remains committed to working with ecosystem partners to equip young learners to be future-ready.
Organisations that support the establishment of Digital Maker Hubs will be providing much-needed assistance to young talents, equipping them with critical skills needed to advance the digital economy. MDEC is creating possibilities and opportunities with limitless boundaries with technology, eventually bridging the digital divide.
Besides equipping 24 schools with Digital Maker Hubs, MDEC has also worked with various NGOs, state governments, universities and enterprises to establish 67 Digital Maker Hubs outside schools, totalling 90. A full list of all these Digital Maker Hubs can be obtained from the website.
MOE and MDEC would like to invite sponsors from corporates and industry players to support schools and community places that have been earmarked for the establishment of Digital Maker Hubs.
