MEMORANDUM OF UNDERTANDING SIGNING CEREMONY - STRATEGIC COLLABORATION

Bangi, 1 August 2012. I was invited to represent the automotive industry at the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Malaysia and various players from the automotive sector. With the exchange of MOU, the industry had also issued an offer to almost all the graduates and future graduates of those automotive students from Community College. The event was graced by the Secretary General, Ministry of Higher Education Yg Bhg Datuk Ab Rahim Bin Md Noor.
   
The function that was held at the Equatorial Hotel, Bangi was co-hosted by the Department of Community College and University Malaysia Pahang and attended by approximately 1,000 guests. The Department of Community College was also recently tasked to provide highly skilled manpower to 5 corridors namely, IRDA Economic Development, NCER, ECER, SDC and SCORE to spur related industrial development in line with the Government Transformation Plan.

After the welcoming speech by Professor Dato' Dr Daing Nasir bin Ibrahim, Vice Chancellor University Malaysia Pahang, I was asked to address the audience as a representative from the industry. Below was the text prepared just in the nick of time..

Bismillah hirahmanir rahim

 Y. Bhg. Datuk Ab. Rahim Bin Md. Noor

Ketua Setiausaha, Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi

Y. Berusaha En. Amir Bin Md. Noor

Ketua Pengarah, Jabatan Pengajian Kolej komuniti

Y.Bhg. Prof Dato' Dr Daing Nasir bin Ibrahim

Vice Canselor, Universiti Malaysia Pahang

YBhg. Dato' Sri Ir. Dr. Judin bin Abdul Karim

Ketua pegawai Eksekutif CIDB

Pegawai-Pegawai Kanan Kementerian,

Pengarah Bahagian dan Pengarah-Pengarah Kolej Komuniti, CEO & Rakan-rakan saya dari industri automotif,

Dato’-Dato’, Datin-Datin, Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan, yang saya hormati sekalian.

Salam.

Salam Sejahtera dan Salam Satu Malaysia.

1. Terlebih dahulu, saya ingin mengucapkan berbanyak banyak terima kasih dan setinggi perhargaan kepada Jabatan Pengajian Kolej komuniti (JPKK), Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi di atas kesudian memberi saya peluang mewakili industri untuk menyampaikan sepatah dua kata di majlis yang penuh bermakna ini.

Sesungguhnya peluang ini memaparkan keakraban hubungan di antara pihak kementerian bersama industri.

Y.Bhg. Datuk,

Saudara dan Saudari yang saya hormati,

2. Malaysian automotive industry has gone through a cycle of phenomenal growth for the past decade with a Total Industry Volume averaging 500,000 per year on the backdrop of less than 30million population. That is the second biggest TIV in South East Asia after Thailand- whom only recorded less than 200,000 units of domestic car sales per year (compared to Malaysia) but with triple Malaysia's number of population .

Unfortunately, the combined number of competent technician that graduated in Malaysia every year is not in tandem with that growth of the Malaysian automotive industry.

Evidently, when we advertised for technicians, only a handful that actually came for interview. From the few that came for interview, many had failed due to their lack in knowledge when tested as well as poor soft skill and physical outlook. The few that were actually employed, majority was not able to adapt to the working environment and meet the quality of work that we demanded.

*Not that we are very demanding but nonetheless.. Employers do have some minimum expectation from their potential employees…

sebab itulah Dato…….. “kita mengalu-alukan” dasar dasar dan polisi polisi kerajaan yang telah membentuk pelbagai kolaborasi diantara industri dan institusi latihan seperti kolej komuniti.

3. Such a collaboration will ensure the needs and fancies of the industry are met by the prospective employee.

It is very important for Colleges to continuously engage those from the industry to enable them to produce competent manpower that is equipt with the necessary knowledge and the exposure to the latest technology that could value add

4. The technology within the automotive industry evolved very rapidly. We saw how carburetor engine was quickly replaced by fuel injection. Now, the technology has evolved into the hybrid and green technology.

Technician skills too must must evolved together with the advancement of technology wether in manufacturing, assembly, or even serviving.

Yg Bahagia Datuk Rahim,

Please excuse my mixture of malay and English..  Masa saya study dulu, tak ada kolaborasi pintar ..  jadi bahasa saya kurang pintar.. agak rojak sedikit.

5. Melalui kerjasama pintar yang dijalankan, dapatlah para pelajar dari kolej komuniti mendapat pendedahan melalui job placement dan seterusnya mendapat pengalaman hands-on di industri dari semasa ke semasa.

Melalui kaedah ini maka jurang antara kurikulum, teori dan hands-on practical dapat dikecilkan.

6. Selain kompetensi dan kemahiran, salah satu elemen penting yang diwajibkan oleh majikan dan industry ialah dari segi “attitude”. Graduan harus mempunya attitude yang sesuai dan betul untuk memasuki alam pekerjaan.

Attitude dari segi Timing, Disipline, responsibility and accountability and teamwork. Attitude yang betul adalah penting untuk produktiviti.

Nasib baik setakat ini PEDA mendapat para graduan dari kolej komuniti yang tergolong dalam kategori yang tidak banyak menimbulkan masalah. 

Kalau tak, baru nak komplen dekat Dato Rahim … Encik Amir

There are a few isolated cases but minor problem that can be resolved.

Kita berharap pada masa hadapan pengurusan kolej komuniti dapat menitik-beratkan pembinaan sahsiah ataupun attitude dan disiplin pelajar selain ilmu buku.

Yang Bahagia Dato,

Saya mencadangkan kolaborasi pintar yang sedang dilaksanakan dengan baik antara kolej komuniti, universiti dan industri dapat diteruskan dan dapat diwujudkan SATU joint-working-group agar pihak kolej komuniti, universiti dan industri dapat duduk berbincang dan memantau pelaksanaan program dengan lebih kerap.

Program ini juga boleh diperluaskan dengan penempatan pensyarah di industri bagi meningkatkan kemahiran sekaligus dapat menyesuaikan perubahan teknologi seiring dengan perkembangan semasa.

Pihak kami bersedia bekerjasama dengan kolej komuniti dalam pelbagai bidang seperti perkongsian teknologi terkini, menawarkan tempat latihan bagi On Job Training dan peluang pekerjaan kepada pelajar kolej komuniti.

Di samping itu, kami juga akan bersama-sama belajar di kolej komuniti dalam konteks re-skilling dan up-skilling sekiranya terdapat keperluan dan insentif yang menarik.

Akhir kata, saya ingin merakamkan setinggi penghargaan kepada pihak pengurusan kolej komuniti dan terima kasih kepada rakan kerjasama kami iaitu  Universiti Malaysia Pahang, dan semua RAKAN-RAKAN dari industri automotive yang terlibat.  

Terima kasih juga kerana memberi kami peluang bersama-sama melatih bakal tenaga kerja yang akan bekerja dengan kami. Moga jaringan kerjasama ini dapat memantapkan industri automotif pada masa hadapan.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Amir Bin Md Noor, Director General Department of Community College, Datuk Ab Rahim Md Noor,Secretary-General Ministry of Higher Education; Armin Baniaz Pahamin Presiden PEDA, Professor Dato' Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim Vice Chancellor- University Malaysia Pahang.

The function ended with a Majlis berbuka puasa and should have had a belated birthday celebration for Datuk Ab Rahim bin Md Noor. His birthday was a day before the event. 

Syabas and Well done the Ministry of Higher Education. This effort should be echoed by other Ministries. The best policy are those that engaged the industry.