Moulding work-worthy graduates
WITH more than 25 years in the education and industrial sector, Professor Dr Abu Bakar Mahat has extensive knowledge and experience to share. During his career in the industry, he has managed and delivered successfully multi-millions worth of projects jointly with multinational companies, such as Samsung Construction Company, South Korea and Ishikawa Heavy Industries (IHI), Japan.
He is also very active in providing advisory and consultancy services to various private and government agencies such as Mara, Sirim, CIDB, SMIDEC, IEM, and BEM.
On the academic front, he was an appointed Panel Member of Examiners for the National Accreditation Board (LAN), now known as the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) in 2005.
In 2010, he was appointed as a panel member for institutional audit by MQA in specialisation areas of Manufacturing Technology, Project Management & Maintenance Engineering.
Prof Abu Bakar currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology at Nilai University and heads the various departments offering engineering, aircraft maintenance engineering, information technology, applied sciences and allied health programmes.
He uses his years of experience in Universiti Malaya to groom students to ensure that they are “work-worthy” – not just academically but also mentally with the right soft skills and experience to join the ever-challenging workforce.
“Almost all universities today generate students like the run-ofthe-mill factory – with similar curriculum and knowledge as we are all governed by the same accreditation standards.
“What makes Nilai University students different is the experience they gained from their compulsory final semester internship with our industry partners and the hours we spend grooming them prior to that with leadership skills, public speaking, and personal branding amongst others,” said Prof Abu Bakar.
As the Dean of the faculty – he also ensures that the engineering, IT, applied sciences and allied health programmes are all tied up with reputable industry players to ensure the students have good opportunities during the final semester internship – and is proud that many of these students secure jobs before they complete the internship.
“Students today require guidance to ensure that they also concentrate on the soft skills necessary to succeed. Many of them are grilled since young that excelling in examinations and getting top grades are the most important criteria for a good career – forgetting that it is how you manage this knowledge and yourself through time management, confidence and social skills that will give you a successful career,” he advised.
Find out how Nilai University provides you with the true value of education via the University’s Blueprint for Success – incorporating strong courses, holistic development, character building skills and internship.
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