Forging industry collaborations
BEING industry-relevant is an important aspect that is highly valued by employers when they evaluate graduates seeking employment. This is an area Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) has emphasised, especially in its engineering and information and communication technology programmes, for close to 50 years.
TAR UC has established an industry collaboration with Penang-based Hotayi Electronic that was formalised on Mar 30 last year. Hotayi is a leading global electronics manufacturing services company, providing a wide range of manufacturing solutions and services through “smart” manufacturing.
This collaboration paves the way for staff and students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FOET) and Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FOCS) to assist Hotayi in integrating automation and data exchange into Hotayi’s current manufacturing system, hence developing an Industry 4.0 manufacturing system in its factory.
Following the collaboration, FOET and FOCS students will have the opportunity to work on industry-oriented projects relevant to this partnership, including automated production simulation, machine and process data analytics using artificial intelligence, image processing, product data analytics and parts supply chain automation. In addition, TAR UC students are given internship opportunities at Hotayi’s factory.
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Mechatronic final-year student Chang Qi Tat, who completed his internship with Hotayi in May last year, says, “I was assigned to the test department, where my main task was to assist the technicians and engineers in maintaining the machines for quality control. Thanks to the programming knowledge I gained during my degree programme, I was able to assist in configuring the programming for the machines at Hotayi to ensure proper function.”
FOET dean Dr Chew Khoon Hee shared his views on how this collaboration will benefit TAR UC students, saying, “Industryrelevant collaborations have always been TAR UC’s goal, to ensure we develop graduates who are employment-ready. We are pleased to have Hotayi collaborating with us, which will provide invaluable opportunities for our students to gain hands-on experience and be involved in cutting-edge industry projects. Such opportunities will give students an edge over their peers and widen their understanding and knowledge of the latest technology.”
Senior IT manager at Hotayi Yeoh Shin Chian works closely with the team from TAR UC. “Since our collaboration with TAR UC was officiated, we have been quite pleased with the progress of the six ongoing final-year projects. Although these are long-term projects, we have seen positive results even at the early stages.
“This gives us confidence that our collaboration with TAR UC will yield the results we are looking for as we embrace Industry 4.0 in our factory operations. This is also one of the reasons that encourages Hotayi to further strengthen its cooperation with TAR UC by having additional projects with the institution, with one of the projects being a postgraduate project,” says Yeoh.
Sibling discounts and attractive scholarships for academic merit are available from TAR UC for eligible students.
Find out more about TAR UC’s programmes at its Open Day, which is being held until Apr 14 at its Kuala Lumpur main campus and branch campuses in Penang, Perak, Johor, Pahang and Sabah. Alternatively, visit www.tarc.edu.my or TAR UC’s booth at all major education fairs.
Being industry-relevant is an important aspect that is highly valued by employers when they evaluate graduates seeking employment.