EduCity 2.0 will revamp education landscape
ISKANDAR PUTERI: EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (EIMSB) is set to implement its EduCity 2.0 initiatives to reimagine the learning environment and be a gamechanger for the education landscape to make EduCity Iskandar a unique destination among global players.
This initiative is an expansion plan to extend their value proposition to create a new learning environment and introduce a new, flexible business model for new education partners.
“We will also establish a new college called EduCity International College (EIC) that will be a platform for our partners to offer programmes that complement their courses.
“The college will offer these courses based on various models, so the students have the option to study for overseas programmes locally,” said EIMSB managing director Wan Ahmad Saifuddin Wan Ahmad Radzi.
He said EIC would also introduce a generic foundation programme through a collaboration with a United Kingdom-based institution.
“Through research, we found that most students are no longer interested in pursuing A-Level programmes.
“Foundation programmes offer students a more specific path to courses they want to pursue in universities. These programmes also make them better prepared for university life,” said Wan Ahmad Saifuddin.
He said the college was expected to be ready for a student intake in September.
“We believe there has been a paradigm shift as far as studying for an overseas course or programme is concerned.
“Parents still want their children to study for an overseas accredited degree, but are unwilling to let them travel too far, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Universities need to be where students are. Through EIC, we are offering these universities the opportunity to recruit students and let them study at the college before they go to the main campus when travel restrictions are relaxed,” he said on the Transit Model that was part of the EduCity 2.0 initiative.
Under the EduCity 2.0 initiative, EIMSB had launched EduCity Academy, a training centre that will become a one-stop talent lifecycle solution and ecosystem developer that will offer specially-curated courses for the student and working community.
Under the centre, the PERANTIS ISKANDAR programme was recently introduced, offering upskilling and reskilling programmes as part of the state’s initiative to tackle unemployment, especially post-Covid-19.
“Under the programme, the academy will partner with businesses and those in the private sector to offer apprenticeships.
“Applicants will undergo training at the academy and then an apprenticeship at the company before they are offered a job there.
“The programme is open to those who are unemployed or have been retrenched,” said Wan Ahmad Saifuddin.
He said the academy had secured RM5 million from the Finance Ministry through the Iskandar Regional Development Authority for PERANTIS ISKANDAR.
“In the long run, we want the academy to be self-sufficient, so we plan to work with the private sector to secure funds for the programme.”
He said the application for the programme was expected to open in May.