The IKM Bintulu graduates who completed four semesters of certificate-level programmes.
Dr Mohd Nawawi Omar
BINTULU: Graduates from Mara Skills Institute (IKM) Bintulu have recorded a high percentage of employment after graduation.
Its director Dr Mohd Nawawi Omar said this at the fourth convocation ceremony for 184 certificate-level graduates at its campus here on Sunday. The event was officiated at by Minister of Utilities Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
He said based on a study last year, in less than six months after graduation, 84.1 per cent of IKM Bintulu graduates found employment, compared to 94 per cent for the period of one year in 2016.
“I believe that within a year we will achieve over 95 per cent employment based on our key performance indicator. From the random questionnaire among the certificate-level graduates, some draw monthly salaries between RM3,000 and RM4,000,” he said, adding that technical sector continues to drive the state economy.
This optimism he said is based on the 2018 Budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak who had allocated RM4.9 billion for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Malaysia.
TVET, he said plays an important role in producing highly skilled workforce to contribute to the country’s economy to achieve National Transformation 50 (TN50). Mara has been contributing towards this goal through its skills and technical education system for the past 52 years.
To-date Mara has 10 Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara (KKTM), 14 Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM) and one Mara-Japan Industrial Institute (MJII) to empower TVET in Malaysia.
IKM Bintulu he said always emphasised high quality teaching and learning related to oil and gas industry with the completion of the Smoke House equipment early this year.
“Other teaching and learning facilities available are oil production plant, pressure regulating skid, field calibration workshop, fabrication yard, welding inspection lab and others. All these facilities are in line with IKM Bintulu’s motto ‘Global Competent Workforce Gateaway’ to produce highly skilled human capital to compete at the global arena,” he said.
Mara continually improves its human capital development by creating the Industry Centre of Excellence and ensuring its education methodology is based on ‘Teaching Factory’, a combination of industrial based education and training.
According to Nawawi, IKM Bintulu has been working closely with several companies such as SR Scaffold Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Redha Infaq, Petronas Vista, Bintulu Emergency Safety Training and others to ensure graduates are competent.
“With Petros a new oil and gas company owned by the state, IKM Bintulu would have more opportunities to collaborate with the industry,” he added.
Nawawi pointed out that two of its certificate-level programmes have been upgraded to diploma level starting July-December 2016 session namely plant operation engineering technology and instrumentation and plant control engineering technology.
The electrical installation engineering technology in diploma is a new programme introduced starting July-December 2017 session.