Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), through its global prominence strategy, has set its sights on developing and maintaining strategic partnerships with renowned institutions and universities worldwide.
UTM via the School of Computing, Faculty of Engineering, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with an education social enterprise to drive digital upskilling and reskilling efforts for Malaysians through the Industry-Driven Digital Talent Development program.
The signing ceremony of this MoA was held on 21 February 2022 via an online platform. The audience of the ceremony consisted of UTM and DWA delegations from Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur campuses respectively. UTM was represented by its Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and International) while the education social enterprise was represented by their Founders (i.e., their Chairman and Managing Director).
In his speech, UTM’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and International) stated that the MoA would establish a strategic partnership between UTM and the academy for digital talent development, especially in critical areas of digital expertise, including Software Development, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.
The Chairman of the education social enterprise, who is also an Adjunct Professor of UTM, highlighted that the MoA shall catalyse the development of 500,000 digital talents required by the country by 2025, according to MyDigital (Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint). He noted that they actively take the initiative to arm the workforce with digital skills to adapt to the new digital era and entirely new career opportunities to come.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the education social enterprise additionally emphasised that the partnership aims to bridge the Industry with University to provide excellent lifelong learning education solutions, which meet the needs and advancements of the industry. She added, all their training programs are industry-based and competency-based to prepare learners to be digitally competent and immediately productive.
Through this partnership, Malaysian youth and working adults can benefit from short Professional Courses developed jointly by UTM and DWA, led by highly-qualified subject matter experts from UTM. UTM and the education social enterprise joined hands in widening the impact within Malaysia and globally, to develop competent digital talents who will be essential contributors to society and the economy.
More about MyDigital (Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint)
MyDIGITAL is a national initiative that symbolises the aspirations of the Government to successfully transform Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high-income nation and a regional leader in the digital economy.
The Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint spells out the efforts and initiatives to deliver the aspirations of MyDIGITAL. The Blueprint charts the trajectory of the digital economy’s contribution to the Malaysian economy and builds the foundation to drive digitalisation across Malaysia including bridging the digital divide.
MyDIGITAL is designed to complement national development policies such as the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (RMKe-12) and Wawasan Kemakmuran Bersama 2030 (WKB 2030).
The digital economy was identified as a key economic growth area (KEGA) in realising WKB 2030, to make Malaysia a country that is developing sustainably with fair economic distribution as well as equitable and inclusive growth.
The world’s economic growth is increasingly driven by digitalisation. Consumer behaviour has evolved to prioritise quick and convenient experiences which are powered by the internet and mobile phones. The COVID-19 pandemic amplifies the importance of the digital economy to ensure continuity in economic activities.
The use of the internet and technological advancement contributes to the rapid growth of data, which is the future commodity. Nevertheless, countries risk creating a digital divide if the response to digitalisation is not managed well. We must embrace digitalisation, and seize opportunities arising from this trend for our wellbeing, as well as to stay relevant and competitive.
