Partnership to strengthen ties
UNIVERSITI Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and Volkswagen Group Malaysia (VGM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a significant milestone in strategic initiatives between the world’s biggest automotive brand and one of Malaysia’s leading technical universities.
The agreement was signed by UMP vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim and VGM Pekan Plant Manager Danny Auerswald in a ceremony held at the university’s Pekan campus.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing (FKMP) deputy dean Assoc Prof Dr Nik Mohd Zuki Nik Mohamed, and VGM and Pekan Volkswagen head of Pilot Hall Nor Hayati Othman.
This partnership aims to boost advancement in the fields of education, research and technology, especially in autotronics, and produce a highly-skilled workforce in the country, with a focus on students mainly from electronic and programming streams.
This collaboration will see both parties working closely together as a platform to connect the automotive industry to academic developments and research.
It will also pave the way for various programmes such as exchange of staff and academic material, as well as explore the possibilities to further advance the technical, engineering and vocational education.
VGM will be sharing its expertise, resources and knowledge on German engineering and its technologies that are well-known worldwide.
As part of the agreement, Volkswagen Pekan Plant will be offering UMP students internship placements as well as access to the plant to broaden their practical understanding of what is learned in the classroom. There will also be workshops on new technology and research findings.
Auerswald said that a collaboration such as this provides many benefits to both parties.
“We are very pleased to partner with UMP and we are looking forward to working closely with the students in recognising their talents and hard work,” he said.
Prof Daing Nasir said the partnership would help establish a sustainable collaboration with VGM in the areas of vocational automotive engineering. This would help facilitate UMP students when seeking industrial training or job placements.