UCSF – setting new standards in education
Published on: Thursday, June 04, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) with its vision to be a leading model of green university by redefining policies and practices in an ecologically-friendly context, and setting new standards in education, scholars, research and innovations is pushing boundaries to be a new wave educational institution.In a recent visit to London, UCSF collaborated with top UK university and colleges. UCSF signed MoUs with three educational institutions on 22 April 2015 which was also witnessed by Chief Minister of Sabah cum Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Yayasan Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman. Datuk Sapawi said, UCSF intends to address the skill development required for Sabah human capital. "This is considered important after realising the unemployability rate of graduates because of their lack of specific skills in certain sectors required for economic development of Sabah. In relation to this, we have identified the Sheffield College and the City of Oxford College of UK to assist UCSF in staff training," he added.ADVERTISEMENT "Specific skills especially important in human capital of Sabah today include various skills in hospitality and eco-tourism and communication. The experience and expertise from these two UK colleges will be used to train our trainers at UCSF. This is considered important because human capital development in Sabah do not just need knowledge but also need skills to increase their employability in Sabah, especially in the oil and gas industry, and tourism," he explained.According to Datuk Sapawi, through the first MoU, UCSF, the Sheffield College and the City of Oxford College desire to establish collaborative relations to promote friendship in a mutually beneficial association in any discipline and area of higher education and human resource development covered by the three institutions."Through this tripartite agreement, UCSF is keen to undertake industry such as tourism, manufacturing, oil and gas, media and arts to evaluate and assess existing workers to be recognised and qualified skilled workforce in Malaysia," he added.According to him, this is done by promoting exchange of information and materials besides the exchanges between the parties concerned, especially the academic and administrative staff, research students and other mutually agreed parties.ADVERTISEMENT He added, other forms of cooperation which the institutions may jointly arrange include technical information exchange, development of academic programmes and curriculum reviews, development of industrial training programmes besides the execution of research projects and other educational projects."The support from both the UK colleges are in framework design and mechanism for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and technical/skill training to qualify Sabahan for award of certification and recognition. Areas of interest are joint-training, work-based diploma programme development and research," he said.
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The second MoU was between UCSF and University of Salford, United Kingdom. Through this MoU, UCSF will collaborate with the University of Salford in staff training in the creative industry which include animation, film-making and new media. "Two UCSF staff are now persuing their Master Degree in the University of Salford, Manchaster, UK. Their stint at Salford will allow them to experience and be exposed to the international education environment," he said."Salford will promote UCSF with the development of a Salford MA in Wildlife documentary production with UCSF branding for Sabah-based fieldwork experience to be offered in the UK. Salford will also appoint UCSF to promote Salford Phd Online through UCSF marketing for Malaysia," he explained. The collaboration will also involved in research and education in rainforest ecology and biodiversity. Interest has also been expressed in the production of short documentary films involving students from University of Salford. He said, over the past 20 years, Yayasan Sabah Group, the owner of UCSF, has aggressively embarked on the conservation of tropical rainforests. To date, the Yayasan Sabah Group has set aside pristine rainforests for the purpose of conservation and education. "Through this collaboration, University of Salford will be using the conservation areas under the purview of Yayasan Sabah Group, namely the Danum Valley, Maliau Basin, Imbak Canyon and Silam Coast for students mobility and exchange. UCSF intends to generate new knowledge on the biodiversity, ecology and conservation of these rainforests for our future generations," he explained. "UCSF will also explore the probability to undertake Summer Camp programme in our conservation areas to promote nature-tourism and sports tourism," he added.Yayasan Sabah Group has been involved in an extensive reforestation programme of logged-over forest. A project INIKEA is a collaboration between Yayasan Sabah Group and the international IKEA Group. After 15 years of serious work, about 1.7 million new tree species have been replanted on close to 28,000 hectares of degraded rainforests. "This today would be the biggest area of degraded rainforests in the whole planet that has been re-forested with native tree species, not with mono-species as would normally be the case," he stressed. UCSF intends to use these pristine rainforest and re-forested areas as its living laboratory where scientist from across the world could come and study the process of rainforest regeneration and building up of biodiversity in an eco-system that has been constantly threatened in the hands of humankind. He added both institutions will also exchange, academic and administrative staff, and research students besides other staff mutually agreed upon. During the signing ceremony, UCSF was represented by its Vice Chancellor, Datuk Prof. Ghazally Ismail, while the Sheffield College by Mr. Ian Mc Kinney, the City of Oxford College by Mr. Tony Hawkins, and University of Salford by its Dean, School of Arts and Media, Professor Allan Walker.Datuk Sapawi said, all parties involved in the collaborations shall decide through consultation the specific areas and details of cooperation within the framework of the MoUs, and shall consult from time to time at the request of either party for the purpose of reviewing the operation of the collaborations. He added UCSF will also synergise the three training providers namely the Sheffield College, the City of Oxford College UK and Accor Academie, Paris to ensure the employability of hospitality and tourism graduates from UCSF. While in London, Datuk Seri Musa also paid a courtesy call on the Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dato' Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi besides visiting the Innoprise Europe Limited (IEL) office.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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UCSF's ultimate aim is to provide its students with the best education possible so they may achieve their goals, succeed at the highest levels and improve their communities. This is achieved by carrying its roles in the three aspects of knowledge business. It will DISSEMINATE knowledge through teaching and learning, GENERATE knowledge through research and APPLY knowledge through industry and society for the innovation economy. Indeed, the road ahead for UCSF is paved with great promise.