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Showing posts with label University of Cambridge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Cambridge. Show all posts

Monday, July 4, 2011

Get industry help, varsities told





UK research director: Experts can advise academics on needs of private sector

By DAVID TAN davidtan@thestar.com.my

MALAYSIAN universities should consider engaging professionals who have served in multinational corporations (MNCs) to enhance collaboration between universities and the private sector to produce skilled human resources.

Dr Shi Yongjiang (pic), who is a research director of the Centre for International Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, said retired and semi-retired professionals could identify the fields of collaboration relevant to the needs of industry.

He said the university had all the while engaged those who had served in well-known MNCs to serve as tutors and consultants for its industrial systems, manufacturing and management programme (ISMM).



“With their experience, they can serve as tutors to instruct and to give input on how to improve the curriculum to better serve the needs of the industry.

“As consultants, they can advise on how to improve the communication between the academic and private sectors,” he said.

He was speaking after visiting Qdos Holdings Bhd, a flexi-circuit production company in Bayan Lepas, Penang.

Shi is visiting Malaysia and Singapore from June 26 to July 10 with 10 postgraduate students to compare the industrial systems of the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore.

“Under the ISMM programme, students are sent to work in manufacturing plants to apply what they have learnt in theory.

“This is to test how effective the theory is,” he said.

On Malaysia’s competitive edge, Shi said the country had very advanced skills in management systems and inventory planning compared to countries such as India, China, and Indonesia.

On the shortage of engineers in Penang, Shi said the problem was not unique as the UK and Germany also faced the same problem.

“One way to overcome the problem is to open the doors to international talents.

“The other solution is to revamp the engineering curriculum in universities and the science curriculum in high schools to make the subjects interesting. This is being done in the UK,” he said.

Shi said one of the reasons for the shortage of engineers in the UK was the very attractive salaries in the banking sector.

Engineering graduates are lured to jobs in the banking sector because of the pay. Banks are also in favour of hiring engineering graduates as they have the analytical ability to solve complex problems,” he said.
Shi added that local companies should invest more on research and development activities to move up the value chain.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Lawyer to sue Khazanah for denying son scholarship





By NG CHENG YEE,chengyee@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: A man wants to sue Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Yayasan Khazanah and its director after his son failed to get a scholarship offered by the foundation and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust.

Lawyer Chan Chow Wang, 67, said he was planning to retire and personally funding son Xiao Yao’s studies would be a huge financial burden.

He also did not understand why Yayasan Khazanah had rejected the application as Xiao Yao had on Jan 5 received a conditional offer for a place at the University of Cambridge.

Yayasan Khazanah works with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust to offer the Khazanah Cambridge Scholarship to students who have gained admission to the university through the usual application route.

Xiao Yao is scheduled to do his BA Honours degree in Chemical Engineering via Natural Sciences. The course starts in October.



Chan said that when he appealed to the foundation and asked for an explanation for the rejection, all he got was a letter telling him that the competition for the scholarship programme was very stiff.

He added that he would file a suit against the three parties because of the embarrassment, anguish and depression caused to his son.

“I will also lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and request it to investigate the scholarship programme,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

Chan said the tuition fee for his son’s first-year study was £18,000 (about RM89,000) while the college fee was £4,462.50 (about RM22,000).

“With living expenses, my son will need about RM150,000 a year for this four-year degree programme and it is a huge sum of money,” he said.

Chan said it would be difficult for him to fund his son’s education as he was planning to retire in two years.

He had also funded the education of his four children, including Xian Yao’s education up to A-level.
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