Idris (centre) and others give the thumbs-up after the launching of Jerlun Community College. — Bernama photo
KODIANG: The Ministry of Higher Education is prepared to discontinue irrelevant courses at higher education institutions in line with the government’s desire to produce more digitally skilled graduates in the wake of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0).
Its minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said new courses would be introduced to expose students to IR 4.0 which demands a change in line with the digital transformation, in order to be more competitive.
“We are prepared to face the challenges, and even the teachers, for example, about 600 lecturers this year will be given the Educator 4.0 course to know the challenges and education streams in line with IR 4.0,” he said after launching the Jerlun Community College, yesterday.
Idris was commenting on Barisan Nasional (BN)’s manifesto which promises an inclusive education sector ahead of IR 4.0, with over 5 million digitally skilled graduates.
Idris said the marketability rate of graduates from the Community College in the country was 96.7 per cent, proving it was among the best educational institutions in the country.
“Do not underestimate the community college graduates, in terms of marketability here (Community Colleges) is the best compared to other education institutions,” he said.
Idris said the applications to enter Community Colleges was on the rise due to the variety of courses offered, such as architecture, fashion, pastry making, and automotive, in line with the market demand.
“There are also Community Colleges implementing Virtual Reality courses, which extend beyond IR 4.0,” he said.
The Jerlun Community College is the 95th such institution in the country, and the 10th in Kedah which offers a full-time Certificate in Architectural Technology for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) school leavers.
A total of 48 full-time certificates and 17 diplomas are being offered at the institution. — Bernama