Celebrating students’ success for “Innovative Construction Waste Sorting & Segregation System” at the 4^th EUReS.

Comprehensive study space in UOW Malaysia, Batu Kawan Campus.

Prof. Dr. Chong Beng Keok, Vice-Chancellor (female, middle) and Mr. Jagdeep Singh Deo, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II (male, middle) accompanied by industry partners at a recent event in Batu Kawan.

By UOW Malaysia 

Freshly graduated engineers can get surprising rewards from successful collaborations between their universities and industrial leaders.

“We collaborate so closely with industrial companies that some pay for the students’ final year fees and even help them pay their National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loans,” said UOW Malaysia’s Department of Engineering head Assoc Prof Dr Sim Hock Kheng.

This benefit for students begins at the industrial training phase of their education.

In the months they spend in those companies, they prove their familiarity with the latest production or engineering technologies.

This leads to nearly all engineering students at UOW Malaysia getting employment offer letters even before they graduate, plus offers from the company to sponsor their final year fees and PTPTN loans.

“Some companies even invite students who did internships with them to join their company trips and annual dinners as an early way to foster organisational loyalty,” Assoc Prof Sim added.

To produce new ranks of engineers who are adept in the latest technologies, he said UOW confers closely with industrial companies to understand exactly what they need new engineers to be skilled in.

“Even for consumers, so much has changed in the last 10 years because of technological innovations, so just imagine how much faster advancements in industrial production will be.

“This is why we as academicians must frequently connect with industry leaders to stay abreast of the latest systems and processes,” he said.

UOW Malaysia also has 15 Industry Advisory Panels comprising 78 panelists who represent some of the largest industry players in Malaysia and around the world.

“We confer regularly. Our Industry Advisory Panels provide feedback on changes in technologies, business models, consumer patterns, cultural shifts, financial systems and so much more.

“Through that, our undergraduates are always schooled in the latest developments of industries they are aiming to join,” said UOW Malaysia Batu Kawan campus Head of Operations Assoc Prof Dr Yeap Gik Hong.

Feedback from the Industry Advisory Panels affect UOW Malaysia undergraduates’ projects, research topics and coursework so that whatever they work on are in tandem with actual developments in the economy.

The university’s Batu Kawan campus on mainland Penang, which is just 3km to 5km drive to some of the most high-tech manufacturing facilities in the country, gives engineering students yet another advantage.

Working with the Penang state government, the event held in UOW Malaysia’s Batu Kawan campus was designed to fire up the interest of secondary school students in such fields.

UOW Malaysia also had the privilege to work with Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to host the Northern Zone Techlympics 2023 at Batu Kawan campus.

The Malaysia Techlympics is an initiative by MOSTI aimed at cultivating the interest of the young generation in STEM through a more enjoyable competition approach, fostering youths with critical mind, well-rounded skillset, and innovation that are more meaningful and high impact.

The Batu Kawan campus is a sprawling, futuristic 10-acre facility that encapsulates the first time Australian quality education is brought to Penang.

On top of state-of-the-art learning facilities, this campus provides students with a variety of study spaces to stimulate innovative thinking and a stunning variety of exercise and sports facilities.