Be prepared for fourth industrial revolution, graduates urged
KOTA KINABALU: Young graduates in Sabah must prepare well for the fourth industrial revolution in order to help current businesses adjust to changing technologies.
“The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) has already incorporated elements meant to tackle the uncertainty of the fourth industrial revolution to produce holistic, balanced and entrepreneurial graduates who can adapt and fill in jobs.
“However, full commitment from the graduates is needed to ensure the government can tailor courses to meet demand,” Industrial Development Minister Datuk Seri Raymond Tan Shu Kiah said in a speech at the launch of the Entrepreneurship Programme at Kota Kinabalu Politeknik yesterday.
“The fourth industrial revolution is described as a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds and impacting all disciplines, economies and industries.
“I must congratulate the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) for organizing the first entrepreneurship programme with Kota Kinabalu Politeknik, which is in line with the government’s vision to produce more young entrepreneurs who are able to compete at international level. With the new revolution, we cannot sit back and wait. We must be one of the players.
“Entrepreneurs must think as a problem solver. Great opportunities will come when you think out of the box. For example, the e-hailing services such as Uber and Grab became popular when the customers complain about being overcharged and impolite taxi drivers.
“There are so many new businesses created as an option for better service, and the most interesting thing is the people behind these businesses are the younger generation,” he added.
Tan’s speech was read by his assistant minister, Datuk Bolkiah Ismail.
A total of 720 participants took part in the programme, including 15 federal and state agencies.
According to MITI Sabah director Rita Elisha Mering, the programme is focused on giving first-hand information to young undergraduates to ensure they have a clear picture on what business is suitable for them.
“There is huge potential in Sabah, especially on tourism, agriculture and fisheries. This is something that they can think of. We also had special session of sharing success stories conducted by participants who had shown great results from various courses implemented by the government,” she said.
Meanwhile, director of Kota Kinabalu Politeknik, Zainab Othman, said the two-day event will give new experience to the students, especially with the participation of various federal and state agencies.