MMTC opens business model retail shop at Suria

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A student performing an electric guitar solo at MMTC.

A student performing an electric guitar solo at MMTC.

KOTA KINABALU: In support of the government’s encouragement for youths to venture into entrepreneurship, the Malaysian Music Teachers Training College (MMTC) has opened a new business model retail shop at Suria Sabah shopping mall as an example of what the options are for its graduates.

The retail shop, known as the MMTC Entrepreneur Business Model under the Music Mart licensing programme, was officially launched by MMTC Chancellor Toh Puan Datuk Seri Panglima Hajah Norlidah Tan Sri Datuk R.M. Jasni yesterday.

More than a college for music teachers, MMTC strives to be a life-skill college that is fully committed in improving soft skills as well as upscaling the human capital in the creative arts industry, particularly in the music retail and teaching industry.

As the first ever vocational institution for creative arts in Sabah and Malaysia, MMTC also teaches entrepreneurship skills to its students.

“We believe that by equipping our students with a wide range of enterprising skills, they will find success and employment opportunities everywhere and anywhere they wish to be,” said MMTC Principal and CEO Peter Chua.

The opening of MMTC’s very first business model shop at Suria Sabah shopping mall seeks to facilitate new students’ enrolment and registration, as well as to be a living and breathing example of what the students are able to do for a living once they graduate from their diploma or degree programme.

“At MMTC, we provide vocational training for piano tuning, instrument repairs, composing and musical arrangement, on top of music teaching. In the future, we will also offer a programme in early childhood development,” Chua said.

“We understand that in today’s world, entrepreneurship is the way to go. We can no longer depend on the government or other private agencies to provide jobs for our youths, they would have to create opportunities for themselves. Hence, our business model for a music instrument retail shop, which our graduates will be able to copy and emulate once they have graduated,” Chua said.

He also assured youths that the government is always there to help them launch a career in entrepreneurship, as SME loans to set up the business model are easily available.

“What the youth and parents still fail to see is that the music industry in Sabah offers huge opportunities. MMTC equips our students with life skills, academic knowledge and vocational skills so that they will be able to make a living through music retail, instrument repair, music teaching and composing,” he said.

In the future, there will be another flagship business model for an ECC (every child can) playschool to be set up. Following the footsteps of MMTC, this new playschool will be the first ever playschool of its kind in the region that stimulates early childhood development and learning through creative arts.

The Music Mart music retail shop business model is located at Lot 2.18 & 2.19 (next to Times Bookstore), on the second floor of Suria Sabah Shopping Mall.