CYBERJAYA, 18 July 2024 – The Sky Global Apprenticeship Programme is a high-impact initiative under the collaboration of the Consortium of Malaysian Universities (CMU), the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), and TUSAS Malaysia, signed on 7 April 2023.

This collaboration serves as a platform to support talent needs in realising the nation's vision and acts as a catalyst for the growth of Malaysia's aerospace design, development, and manufacturing industries, as outlined in the Malaysia Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2030.

The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Aerospace Engineering (PPKA) is among the institutions actively involved in related research fields.

As a result, a third-year PPKA USM student, Seaan Manuel Pillay, was recently offered to join the Sky Global Apprenticeship Programme at Turkish Aerospace, Ankara, Turkey, which will run from 2 September to 27 September 2024.

This programme is specifically designed for Malaysian students to ensure they are professionally trained in aerospace engineering across various disciplines and exposed to practical experience, including avionics, electronic design, programming, aircraft structure design, and aircraft systems installation in this rapidly growing sector.

The Offer Letter Presentation Ceremony was officiated by the Minister of Higher Education, Dato' Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir, on 16 July 2024 at the MIGHT Partnership Hub, Jalan IMPACT, Cyberjaya.

According to Zambry, the initiative will greatly benefit the country by enhancing Malaysian engineering students' skills through international work experience, increasing graduates' employability in the aerospace industry.

“This collaboration will build professional networks between Malaysia and Turkey in the aerospace sector and contribute to human capital development in high technology fields,” he said.

Meanwhile, USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic and International, Professor Dato' Gs. Dr. Narimah Samat, who was also present at the ceremony representing the USM Vice-Chancellor, said that Seaan's achievement is a significant accomplishment for the university and the Malaysian higher education sector.

“This programme does not only open opportunities for students to gain international work experience, but also strengthens relationships between educational institutions and industry at the global level.

“This aligns with USM's efforts to produce HEBAT graduates who are competitive and possess skills relevant to the aerospace industry's needs,” Narimah added.

Also present at the presentation ceremony were the Director-General of Higher Education, Professor Dr. Azlinda Azman; Co-Chairman of MIGHT, Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Ir. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali; Turkey Ambassador to Malaysia, TYT Emir Salim Yuksel; Turkish Aerospace Malaysia leadership, and 10 CMU members.

Text: Nur Farrah Ezlin Mohd Suhaimi