UMPSA Strengthens Graduate Employability: 45 Candidates Certified in Professional Commercial Diving and Underwater Welding

PULAU PINANG, 24 December 2025 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) has successfully concluded a high-impact professional training programme titled ‘Professional Commercial Diving with Underwater Welding and Cutting’, which was aimed at equipping 45 graduates with specialised technical skills to meet the rigorous demands of the marine and oil and gas industries.

In a rigorous push to boost graduate employability, these candidates completed the specialised programme, held from 14 to 24 December 2025. This programme was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) through its Graduate Employability (GE) Grant, which was designed to demonstrate that UMPSA graduates are ready for the most challenging jobs in the industry. To ensure the training met real-world standards, UMPSA partnered with Aqua Splash Academy, a leader in aquatic safety and commercial dive training. 

This was not an average workshop, but all participants were pushed out of their comfort zones, mastering the complex art of surface-supplied diving operations. Nonetheless, the real challenge lay in the technical skills required to perform oxy-arc cutting and wet welding, underwater skills that are in high demand within the marine and oil and gas sectors. According to one of the participants, “It is a completely different ballgame down there. Basically, on land, the worry was on the angle and the heat, but being underwater, it was about managing buoyancy, the visibility, and safety, all while trying to lay a perfect weld. It was exhausting, but the feeling of mastering it is incredible.”

The collaboration with Aqua Splash Academy ensured that the students were not just learning the theoretical part, but they were also learning survival and precision from industry veterans. The instructors emphasised not just the how-to, but the strict safety protocols required in commercial diving operations. According to the Program Director, Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Siti Rabiatull Aisha Idris, this initiative is about confidence. “We want our graduates to walk into an interview and say, ‘Yes, I can do that,!’ and have the certification to prove it. This KPT grant has allowed us to give them a premium, high-value skill set that sets them apart from the crowd.”

As the programme wrapped up on Christmas Eve, the atmosphere was one of relief and pride. These 45 graduates are returning home not just with a certificate, but with a rare technical capability that opens doors to careers in offshore maintenance, marine construction, and underwater engineering. UMPSA continues to champion such industry-focused programmes, ensuring that its graduates are not just degree holders but skilled professionals ready to make waves in the workforce.

By: Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Situ Rabiatull Aisha Idris, Faculty of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering Technology
E-mail: rabiatull@umpsa.edu.my