UMPSA appointed WorldSkills Malaysia Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Digital Construction

BANGI, 8 December 2025 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) has been appointed as the WorldSkills Malaysia Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Digital Construction.

With this appointment, UMPSA, through the Building Information Modelling Innovation and Knowledge Hub Centre (BIM Centre), will carry significant expectations as preparation for the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 competition.

The Vice-Chancellor of UMPSA, Professor Dr Yatimah Alias, was present to receive the letter of appointment from the Minister of Human Resources, Yang Berhormat Steven Sim Chee Keong, in conjunction with the WorldSkills Malaysia Heroes Award Ceremony 2025 held today.

Also present were the Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad, and the Deputy Minister of Works, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan.

In efforts to strengthen professionalism and career pathways for the skilled workforce, Yang Berhormat Steven Sim also announced that the government will introduce the Malaysian Expert Certificate as official recognition for the nation’s skills experts.

“Three new levels, namely skills expert, senior skills expert, and skills consultant, will be introduced so that this skilled group will also receive official recognition from the government and industry to obtain better employment opportunities.

“The introduction of this certification will support the development of a TVET ecosystem that not only produces a skilled workforce, but also appreciates local experts who are capable of leading innovation and training at national and international levels,” he said when attending the programme held at Bangi Avenue Convention Centre (BACC).

Meanwhile, Professor Dr Yatimah said that UMPSA has experience in the WorldSkills Lyon 2025 competition and the 2nd Belt & Road International Skills Competition Chongqing 2025 as National Experts and Coaches.

“The role of UMPSA through the BIM Centre began as early as the selection of the best participants to represent the country in 2023.

“Previous experiences were blended and structured for the development of WorldSkills Modules and Advanced Digital Construction Skills Framework.

“This centre also manages the BIM and Digital Construction talent development ecosystem in Malaysia, encompassing WorldSkills Occupational Standard skills standards, CIDB BIM Competency Modules, and National Occupational Skills Standard,” she said.

The extraordinary collaboration between the BIM Centre and Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM) Sri Gading became the main recipe for an even more special victory as Digital Construction was contested for the first time in the history of WorldSkills Asia (WSA).

As the WorldSkills Malaysia Digital Construction CoE, the BIM Centre on this occasion also received cooperation from the Ministry of Works (KKR) as the lead agency, CIDB MyBIM Centre and BIMAGE Consulting as sponsors, and KKTM Sri Gading as the final sprint training venue in the recent competition.

This was the result of intensive guidance and strategic support by the Director of the Building Information Modelling Innovation and Knowledge Hub Centre (BIM Centre), Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Tarmizi Haron, who is also the National Chief Expert, together with the Technical Executive of the BIM Centre, Ts. Muhammad Syaiful Safwan Nordin, as National Expert.

Likewise, the KKTM Sri Gading instructor, Mohamad Fazil Jamaluddin, who also serves as National Coach, became a determining factor in the national success of KKTM Sri Gading alumnus, Muhamad Nashrul Zulkifli, who successfully won the gold medal and was crowned Best of Nation for Skills 58 – Digital Construction at the recent WorldSkills Asia (WSA) Competition held in Taipei.

The prestigious ceremony celebrated national skills heroes who have brought pride to Malaysia on national and international stages, striving for the dignity of skills and TVET Malaysia.

By: Mimi Rabita Abd Wahit, Centre for Corporate Communications

Translation by: Ts. Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press