Producing quality engineers
ImagIne being an employer at a multinational company, rifling through stacks of fresh graduates’ resumes. Hundreds of candidates with top marks and near-identical qualifications but not one standing out from the pack.
What would make a student stand out is workplace experience. employers want to hire young people with the hands-on skills and relevant industry knowledge needed to make an impact at the company from day one.
The challenge for a student or fresh graduate is this – how would one gain this quality workplace experience while finishing their degree?
Quest International University Perak (QIUP)’s latest curriculum transformation offers students the chance to do just that.
The university is launching a new industry-based engineering programme for two of its courses – the Bachelor of electronics engineering (Communication) with Honours, and the Bachelor of mechatronics engineering with Honours.
Under this curriculum, students undergo a yearly industrial attachment at prominent technologybased companies. a typical engineering undergraduate would only undergo one session of industrial training in a four-year programme.
However, QIUP’s undergraduates will be attached to the industries for three sessions throughout the four-year programme – providing them with an unrivalled level of industry exposure.
Due to this early continuous exposure and engagement with industry experts, undergraduates will get the opportunity to sharpen their hands-on skills.
The first attachment is slated for april 2020, and QIUP is proud to take this initiative off the ground with industry giants such as Finisar and Salutica allied Solutions Sdn Bhd. The university is actively pursuing tie-ups with other industry giants that can provide its undergraduates with a wide range of industrial attachment options.
“The aim is to make our graduates immediately employable when they leave the university. Right off the bat, they should be able to familiarise themselves with the needs of the working world without further training,” says QIUP chief operating officer nicholas goh.
“QIUP’s programme will maintain the fixed fundamental courses required by the relevant qualifications agencies. However, the electives will be hand-chosen by the university and our partnering companies to reflect industry needs,” adds Faculty of Science dean and director of QIUP’s Centre for graduate Studies and Research Prof Dr Vilasini Pillai.
From the companies’ perspective, this project will give them a steady stream of talent in their pipeline – talent that they can mould into impactful employees without retraining.
In an age where a degree is not enough, students need an advantage to stand out in an unforgiving job market. Let QIUP’s engineering programme give you that advantage.
■ For more details, look out for the advertisement in this StarSpecial.