UMP, PERODUA establish strategic partnership to offer BTech Apprenticeship programme

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 April 2021 - The collaboration between Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and PERODUA Group will strengthen the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme through the offering of the Bachelor of Technology (BTech Apprenticeship) programme which uses the German Engineering education model (Fachhochschule) in the education system in the country.
The Earn & Learn programme, which is first introduced in Malaysia, will be a benchmark for other studies in applying the elements of the 4th Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) which combines automation technology with cyber technology.
It is in line with establishing the TVET Council and supporting the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) initiative in empowering the country’s TVET graduates.
This programme collaborates with the Department of Higher Education (JPT) and the Malaysian Board of Technologists (MBOT).
UMP develops this programme specifically for PERODUA staff to join the teaching and learning in the field where they work with a project oriented problem based learning (POPBL) approach.
Students work as usual while completing the curriculum through portfolio-based projects and assessments and challenge tests.
At the same time, UMP academics can enhance their experience and skills through real and practical exposure in the industry particularly in PERODUA and conduct joint research between the university and industry.
The ceremony witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the UMP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ir. Dr. Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff and the President and Chief Executive Officer of PERODUA Group, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, witnessed by the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr. Noraini Ahmad, Chairman of the UMP Board of Directors, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, President of the Malaysian Board of Technology, Datuk Ir. Ts. Dr. Hamisah Tapsir, Director General of Higher Education, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Professor Dato’ Dr. Husaini Omar and Chairman of the Board of UMP Advanced, Mohd Sharil Abdullah.
Also present was the Chief Executive Officer of UMP Advanced, Associate Professor Ts. Dr. Mohd. Rusllim Mohamed and Senior General Manager of the Learning and Development Division of PERODUA Sales Sdn. Bhd., Mariam Ibrahim.
According to Professor Ir. Dr. Wan Azhar, the Apprenticeship Industry Mode with the concept of Earn & Learn will motivate the talent resources of staff and industry workers to equip themselves with new knowledge that contributes to the productivity of the company and the country.
“This strategic collaboration will focus on increasing the PERODUA Group’s talent resources from various levels.
“They have the opportunity to improve their academic level by pursuing studies in the field at the appropriate time without having to leave their main duties and responsibilities,” he said during the event held at Hotel Impiana Kuala Lumpur.
He said this POPBL approach could ensure that the talent resources of staff and industry workers get exposure from supervisory skills to management skills with an emphasis on the business savvy element.
“This strategic collaboration will be implemented by UMP Advanced, a subsidiary of UMP that will manage and monitor the programme based on the standards set by the Malaysian Board of Technologists and the University Senate,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dato’ Zainal said, this MoU means a lot to PERODUA because it contributes to improving the country’s higher education system, especially in the automotive industry. 
“Besides that, PERODUA has implemented its own initiative through the Perodua Youth Training Programme since 1999 and until now more than 3,000 students have participated in the programme and most of them are working with the company.
“I believe that TVET education has very broad prospects and has a positive impact on the country’s automotive ecosystem as well as other industries and hope that this programme can improve the skills and educational standards of PERODUA staff.
“In the meantime, this specially designed programme will emphasise aggressively on expanding the collaboration networking between the university and the industry,” he said.
As one of the universities in the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN), UMP is committed to producing internationally competent engineering technology graduates.
This collaboration makes the programme that will be offered very practical and flexible to adapt to the needs of the country in facing the challenges of IR4.0 as well as complementing the TVET education ecosystem in Malaysia.
By: Mimi Rabita Abdul Wahit, Corporate Communications Unit, The Office of The Vice-Chancellor
Translation by: Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, Engineering College/Faculty of  Chemical and Process Engineering Technology