UniMAP gearing towards Industry 4.0
ARAU
FOLLOWING its success in churning out highly soughtafter graduates, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) is renewing its conviction to fully embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) by 2025.
UniMAP, which is listed in the top 500 universities in the field of engineering and technology in the “QS World University Rankings” this year, is always looking for opportunities to ensure that its programmes remain relevant, which would guarantee that its graduates fare well in the Industry 4.0 world of work.
Its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal, said the university reviewed the content of its courses frequently so as to keep up with the digital pace revolving around automation and data exchange trends, including cyber-physical systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Based on industry feedback, Zul said UniMAP’s courses, including the ones with low intake, were in line with industrial demand, which reflected on its graduates’ high employability rate.
Instead of doing away with certain courses, UniMAP is mulling incorporating subjects that fit the latest industrial criteria and equipping students with knowledge and skills so that they could become “multitaskers” and job creators instead of just job seekers.
He cited the School of Human Development and Technocommunication, which aimed at producing graduates with skills not only in communications, new media and management, but also entrepreneurship qualities.
“We are on the brink of industrial revolution where multiskilled and multi-disciplined workers in various industries will be among the crucial elements in the job market.
“On top of that, many present jobs are ceasing to exist and will be replaced by new yet-to-be created ones.
“As such, we have to be prepared. Not only graduate-wise but the staff, lecturers and facilities at UniMAP must also ride the Industry 4.0 wave.”
UniMAP has been contributing towards Perlis’ development and this has been enhanced by the setting up of a UniMAP-Chuping Valley Industrial Area (CVIA) project task force in October last year.
Zul said the task force, which was responsible for identifying projects suitable for the CVIA development, had submitted high-impact proposals to the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority.
As an engineering-oriented university, he said, most of the curriculum offered by UniMAP matched the requirement of most sectors to be developed under the CVIA megaproject, which was projected to contribute RM2.58 billion to the country’s gross national income.