Volkswagen and UMP form partnership to strengthen ties between automotive and TVET.

Pekan, April 30 April – 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’s Vice Chancellor Professor, Dato’ Sri Dr. Daing Nasir Ibrahim and VGM’s Pekan Plant Manager, Danny Auerswald in a ceremony held at UMP’s Pekan campus.  Also present at the event were Deputy Dean Associate Professor of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing (FKMP),  Dr. Nik Mohd Zuki Nik Mohamed 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 researches. It will also pave the way for various programmes such as exchange of staff, academic material as well as exploring the possibilities to  further advance the technical, engineering and vocational education (TVET).

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 learnt in the classroom. There will also be workshops on new technology and research findings.

VGM’s Danny 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. Talent cultivation is something that is actively practiced at Volkswagen AG, and it is great that we are able to be working 

with local students for this. We are confident that the students at UMP will have plenty to learn and benefit from this collaboration“.

In his speech, Professor Dato’ Sri Dr Daing Nasir said UMP was listed in the rating of the QS World University by Subject Ranking 2019 for its Mechanical, Aeronautical, Manufacturing, Chemical Engineering and Technology programmes. These achievements simply highlighted UMP’s excellence in teaching and learning in various technical and technology aspects, he added.

On the MoU, Professor Dato’ Sri Dr. Daing Nasir said this partnership would help establish a sustainable collaboration with VGM in the areas of vocational automotive engineering. This would help facilite UMP students when seeking industrial training or job placements.

UMP offers world-class engineering programmes, the dual-degree programme and the dual-masters’ degree programme, with Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HsKA) and Reutlingen University (RU).

Volkswagen’s Pekan plant currently assembles four models sold in Malaysia - the Polo, Vento, Passat, and Tiguan. These four models make up the line-up of Volkswagen cars available in Malaysia, alongside the Golf family and the Beetle.