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Press Release01 August 2019Siemens AGPetaling Jaya
The Malaysian Technical University Network & Siemens Malaysia seals partnership to produce highly technical graduate experts for specialized automation & technology careers
PETALING JAYA, 1 August 2019 – In a continuous
effort of closing the divide between industry and education sectors where
Industry 4.0 adaptation is concerned, the Malaysian Technical University
Network (MTUN) and Siemens Malaysia announced its first landmark collaboration that
is set to prepare university graduates for the eventual world of systems
integration.
A Letter of Intent signing ceremony was held at
Siemens Malaysia headquarters here as a symbolic significance that is meant to
be a precursor to the Memorandum of Understanding agreement to be inked later
in October. Following this Letter of Intent, it will unveil the launch of a new
degree program called the Bachelor of Technology (Hons) Degree in Industrial
Electronic Automation, with the first intake of students to be enrolled on Sept
1.
MTUN is an umbrella network of 4 universities
namely Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
(UTHM), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), and Universiti Malaysia
Pahang (UMP). This collaboration is divided into 2 phases, with the first phase
of student enrolment undertaken by UniMAP and UTHM as official pioneers to the
start of the course. Both these universities will have 30 students each for
this September intake, while Phase 2 will follow suit at a later stage for the 2
other institutions namely UTeM and UMP.
This industry-education partnership is a big
deal for both MTUN and Siemens as it marks the first-of-its-kind cooperation
that is rare even within the sector, embedding industrial training and software
learning into the academic curriculum throughout the student’s degree over 3
and ½ years. It will see Siemens’ Total Integrated Automation modules being
taught across the different disciplines for the syllabus which has been co-developed
between Siemens Malaysia and the respective university. During this time,
industrial training will be provided for 1 and ½ years and the 2 remaining
years for classroom learning. Upon graduation, they will be able to earn not
just their Honors degree from a locally accredited university but also a
professional certification from Siemens as qualified and versatile system integrators.
The need for system integrators is becoming
notably critical in view of the present batch of graduates produced by
universities whose technical knowledge and skills are mostly siloed, and who lack
the necessary aptitude for combining interconnecting systems or the ability
perform across components, functions and network. Therefore, this customized
degree is aimed backwards in which the course is entirely created based on what
they will need to learn in order to become a competent system integrator who
can work not only with Siemens standards but that of other organizations. The program will be conducted in
Training-of-the-Trainers format in which Siemens will carry out training to the
university lecturers, who will be professionally certified for them to deliver
the same effectively to the students. Intake is opened for students who
are diploma holders in technical and vocational education or those with
Advanced Skills Certification Malaysia.
“Siemens
is delighted and honored to be partnering MTUN as the industrial partner in
this opportunity to further create value-add for education. This launch of the
Bachelor’s degree program is a further extension of our continuous efforts to
our existing SITRAIN program that has already produced many skilled graduates
for the TVET pipeline sustainability, and reaffirms Siemens as the nation’s
preferred technology and education partner for TVET and industry 4.0,” said Mr
Adam Yee, Senior Vice President & Head of Digital Industries, Siemens Malaysia.
UniMAP
Faculty of Engineering Technology (Electronic Department) lecturer Mr Ahmad
Nasir Che Rosli who has been involved in jointly devising and curating this new
program from the start, said this collaboration with Siemens Malaysia will open
up opportunities for the MTUN students to undergo Industrial Attachment with
Siemens partners and customers.
“The
involvement of industries in developing the Bachelor of Technology curriculum
has been very encouraging. In fact, MTUN has always engaged with the industries
right from the start of the development process. Our practice is to have a
series of workshop and meetings organized together, be it at MTUN level or the
university level itself,” he added.
Siemens is also a strong supporter of Technical
and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which it views as a mandatory
criterion in the industry infrastructure because sustainable development and
localization of skills can only be possible when this pipeline for skilled
labor is continuously built. To date, Siemens is one of the few organizations
in the country leading the digitalization drive, and which can ably deliver a
comprehensive and full-fledged suite of training programs customized to
individual institutional needs.
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. In fiscal 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, Siemens generated revenue of €86.8 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2019, the company had around 385,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
Siemens Malaysia is a leading technology provider with comprehensive products and solutions for various markets in the Malaysian economy. It is focused in the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries, smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, as well as medical technology and digital healthcare services. Siemens made its debut foray into Malaysia through its first recorded sale here in 1908. Since then, the company has grown together with the economical and infrastructural development of Malaysia. In 1972, Siemens It set up its first semiconductor factories in Malacca and Penang, creating some 1,500 jobs for the nation’s workforce. In 1973, another semiconductor factory was set up in Malacca. The company has contributed to a significant number of milestone nation-building projects that include Malaysia capital’s landmark KLCC Twin Towers, the Klang Valley MRT Line 1 and ERL Express city-airport connection, as well as resource-efficient and technologically-advanced gas turbines for Prai and Pengerang power plant projects. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.my.