Milestone MoU aims to close the tech talent gap in Malaysia, cultivate diverse talent

USM PENANG, 27 September 2021 -- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Dell Technologies Malaysia (Dell) have signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a milestone industry-academia move to produce more industry-ready graduates. 

The MoU provides a platform for USM and Dell to work hand-in-hand to groom and equip USM undergraduates to be highly employable graduates under the USM LIFE Programme, a new academic initiative that advocates creative and experiential learning.

Signing the MoU at the virtual ceremony were Senior Vice-President, South Asia, and Managing Director, Malaysia, Dell Technologies, Pang Yee Beng, and USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan.

   

According to Pang, this collaboration with one of Malaysia's oldest leading universities, and a premium research-intensive institution in the country, is an example of Dell Technologies' commitment to work together with academia and share its knowledge and resources to innovate and build a skilled workforce of the future.

“At Dell Technologies, we believe in creating a positive and lasting impact on communities and the planet – using our reach, technology and people. It is with this in mind that we embarked on our Progress Made Real 2030 plan, which outlines our social impact goals and strategies.

“Just as important as the technology solutions we create, we are committed to helping Malaysia build a future-ready workforce that has the skills and values critical to meet the needs of our digital future,” said Pang, who is a USM alumnus himself.

Expressing his delight to be collaborating with a leading, trusted brand like Dell Technologies, Faisal Rafiq said, “I’m really excited to have guest lecturers from Dell Technologies to be involved in the USM pilot LIFE programme, the first of its kind, that kicked off this month, where participants (students) will be exposed to a myriad of subjects such as genomics and gerontology, innovative thinking (computational and design), financial literacy, philosophy and grit, Social Development Goals (SDGs) and Living Labs, among others.

“It is my fervent hope that with Dell’s support, we will be able to enrich the students’ learning experiences and that they will be groomed and equipped with the necessary diverse knowledge, skill sets, exposure and wisdom.

“This is especially important in preparing them to be agile, resilient, adaptable and innovative in these challenging times, and to be industry-ready well before they graduate and enter the job market,” he added.

Also present at the virtual ceremony were USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Development Affairs and Alumni), Professor Dr. Aldrin Abdullah; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Dato’ Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed; Dean of the School of Housing, Building and Planning, Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Abdul Naser Abdul Ghani; Director, Medium Business Sales and Women in Action Malaysia Chapter Lead, Dell Technologies, Teoh Ean Na; Architecture Lecturer from the School of Housing, Building and Planning, Ar. Tan Bee Eu; senior management of Dell Technologies; USM faculty members and LIFE Programme members.

Text: USM & Dell Joint Press Release/Photo: Dell Technologies