Engineering the future
S the nation forges ahead in this new millennium on a path towards embracing a new economy built on a platform of IT, high technology and knowledge, the engineering profession is increasingly viewed as an important segment.
At Multimedia University (MMU), Malaysia’s first and highest ranked private university, engineering is considered a key player in the knowledge economy and two dedicated faculties have been set up.
Its Cyberjaya campus is home to the Faculty of Engineering (FOE), while its Malacca campus has the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET).
The importance of the engineering field has been recognised by the Malaysian government.
In its Economic Transformation Plan (ETP), engineering is the mainstay of at least three National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) and has been identified as key engines of growth.
The three sectors are Oil, Gas & Energy, Electrical & Electronics and Communications.
MMU’s engineering programme caters to all three of these crucial NKEAs.
Oil, Gas & Energy is an extremely important sector in Malaysia. By 2020, Malaysia is expecting to increase its number of workers in this sector by 53,200. Of these, 21,000 will be highly skilled jobs drawing monthly salaries of between RM5,000 and RM10,000.
MMU graduates can seek participation in this NKEA through two routes; its electrical and mechanical engineering programmes.
The Electrical & Electronics sector is another key economic contributor that accounts for a major portion of the nation’s exports. The government aims to further revitalise this sector, by creating 157,000 jobs of various skill levels by 2020.
MMU graduates can contribute towards this NKEA via multiple fronts. One is with MMU’s electrical engineering programme.
Another is through MMU’s electronics engineering programme, which is also available as a general degree or as a choice of specialising in either Computer, Microwave & Communications, Optical Engineering, Nanotechnology, Telecommunications, Multimedia and Robotics & Electronics.
For the Communications NKEA, it encompasses communications content and infrastructure which has a wide range of applicability. Even today, it is clear that more people are using communications systems to not only connect, but also to view entertainment and collaborate on projects and many other content-based applications.
The potential for growth is so significant that the government expects that by 2020, the sector’s contribution to the Gross National Income (GNI) will be RM58bil annually with 43,000 jobs being created. MMU’s electrical and electronics graduates will play a crucial role here.
It is therefore no surprise that MMU is playing an extensive role in realising the nation’s economic transformation programme.
MMU’s engineering programme has been rated D-SETARA “Excellent” (Tier 5) by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) as well as accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Council Malaysia (EAC).
For details, call Vincent (013-613 3144), Emely (013-380 8844) or Azlan (013-6306 455).