Effort to boost graduates employability - Ministry of Higher Education establishes pact with German engineering giant Siemens

Subang Jaya:  Lending a helping hand to better equip fresh grads seeking employment in a bleak economy, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) will introduce the Siemens Mechatronics Systems Certification Program (SMSCP) in 10 local polytechnics in Malaysia.
A total of 20 local lecturers have been chosen to attend the 3 week-long course at Siemens’ own elite international technical college- the Siemens Technik Akademie in Berlin, Germany. The lecturers will be trained by the German technology experts on being “Handlungskompetenz” – where a skilled worker is able to adapt to a new situation in a self independent, flexible and fast way of working. Upon return, the lecturers will impart the knowledge they gained by training other lecturers, and then passed on again to the students.
Mechatronics is a marriage of systems integrating electrical, mechanical and computer engineering. The partner schools for the course are selected and certified in partnership with a local Siemens operating company. In this case, the industry partners are Amatrol Inc and VCAT Consulting GmbH.
Siemens is the world leader in mechanics and automated systems technologies, and has over 100 years of experience in technical education. In Germany alone, Siemens is one of the largest education providers. The SMSCP course has been established by Siemens engineers who have over 25 years of experience, and so far, more than 168 students have benefited from the course since it was launched in March 2007 in USA, China and Singapore.
“The first batch of 10 lecturers will leave to Berlin this month. Once certified as SMSCP instructors, the lecturers have an opportunity to become Certified Instructor Trainers, who may then give some SMSCP ICP courses back home. For the students, they can receive both an industry certification and a Polytechnic diploma. For those who have already left their schools for a while, they can enroll in this course to update themselves and better equip themselves in a turbulent economy,” said the Secretary General of MoHE, Datuk Dr.Zulkefli A.Hassan at the signing ceremony between the Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education (DPCCE), MoHE, and Siemens Malaysia at the Holiday Villa Hotel today.
Also present were President & CEO of Siemens Malaysia, Tan Sri Rainer Althoff, Derrick Koo, Senior Vice President of Siemens Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Building Technologies, Martin Stoeckmann, Director of Education and Training, Siemens Professional Education, Siemens Technik Akademie Berlin and Dato’ Hj Imran bin Idris, Director General, DPCCE, MoHE
Said Tan Sri Althoff: “There is a growing need for solid, up-to-date, industry focused qualification in integrated mechatronics system, both for new entrants to the field, as well as for professionals who need to bring their system awareness to the current standards. We have a large range of manufacturers in Malaysia equipped with Siemens technology and the tie up with a local Siemens operating company increases their chances of securing an employment since he or she will be familiar with their operating system. The certified job seeker will also be more hands on. Sharing our knowledge and expertise is a part of Siemens corporate responsibility”.
The 10 institutions offering the course are Politeknik Ungku Omar, Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah ( Perak), Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, Politeknik Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah (Kedah), Politeknik Kota Bharu (Kelantan), Politeknik Port Dickson (Negri Sembilan), Politeknik Johor Bahru (Johor), Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (terengganu), Politeknik Merlimau (Melaka) and Politeknik Kota Kinabalu (Sabah).
Malaysia is the third Asian country to introduce the course, after Singapore and China. China had begun the course in March 2007, while Singapore launched the course in October 2008.