Nine young designers enrol for 2-year course in Bandung

KUCHING: The second batch of nine Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) Pool of Young Designer (Poyod) team has registered themselves at the Faculty of Art and Design (FSRD), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia on Jan 6.

This is part of their two-year training programme in furniture designing, which STIDC has collaborated with ITB, Bandung to develop an enhanced oneyear training programme for the trainees.

STIDC general manager Hashim Bojet said the attachment training would enhance the designers’ knowledge and skill in designing with more inputs and international exposure through ITB linkages and networks.

“ITB has developed a thoroughly researched and customised curriculum for the team, that will have positive impact and enrich their experiences and skill in design. I am confident that the team members will benefit greatly from this training, and upon their completion will be ready to serve as furniture designers with the timber industry in Sarawak,” he said.

The Poyod training programme is developed by STIDC in collaboration with

Unimas, industry players and other institutions such as ITB, Bandung with the objective of enhancing knowledge and skill of fresh graduates from Unimas in furniture design.

Hashim said it is also part of developing their career path and making them readily marketable in the state’s timber industry.

“This is in line with STIDC’s vision to transform the timber industry, give greater emphasis and focus on the growth and development of value added in the furniture industry,” he said.

The nine Poyod members have completed their oneyear training with Shin Yang Laminated Board Sdn Bhd, Miri, and Giovanni Wood Industries Sdn Bhd, Kuching in 2019. During the one-year attachment industrial training, they completed two projects – Poyod’s new furniture design produced by Shin Yang and Giovanni Wood Industries Sdn Bhd at Index Mumbai, India (May 2019), and Downtown Design Dubai, Dubai, UAE (Nov 2019).

Both projects generated potential sales of furniture worth RM138 million.

The second-year training at ITB is expected to give trainees further international exposure especially through their participation in Milan DesignWeek, Milan, Italy in 2021.

ITB has developed a thoroughly researched and customised curriculum for the team, that will have positive impact and enrich their experiences and skill in design. I am confident that the team members will benefit greatly from this training, and upon their completion will be ready to serve as furniture designers with the timber industry in Sarawak. Hashim Bojet