Proposal to incorporate Industry 4.0 in edu syllabus
Published on: Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Johor: The International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) has urged educational institutions to consider incorporating elements of Industry 4.0 into their current syllabus.This is so that future students and graduates are not be taken by surprise with the evolving demands of the industry.Deputy Minister Chua Tee Yong said the ministry is currently undertaking regular consultations with relevant stakeholders from industry and the academia for input, before formulating any policy, so that the outcome is holistic.
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"According to the 'The Future of Jobs Report' by the World Economic Forum, 65 per cent of children entering primary school today will end up working in completely new job types. The urgent need for an education curriculum revamp is necessary to keep our local talent competitive and abreast with global mega trends such as the Industry 4.0."Towards this end, Malaysia has introduced coding into the primary school syllabus from this year to increase awareness on the software side."I am also heartened that many tertiary educational institutions have already embarked on their own initiative to offer courses such as data analytics and design thinking," he added.Chua told reporters this after officiating the Outreach Programme on 4.0 here Monday.
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He said the launch of the rebranded Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Malaysia recently, showed the government's commitment to realising the importance of TVET transformation as the game changer in increasing competitiveness, as well as improving the calibre of the workforce and nation's economic development."This TVET transformation is pivotal in preparing our human capital to face the new challenges of Industry 4.0 and the emergence of the Digital Economy. The government is also currently exploring all avenues to facilitate the emulation of elements of Industry 4.0 in the current system.
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"This can be seen via the government's initiative at expanding the scope of funds under various agencies, whereby, manufacturers will be incentivised to diversify into frontier products which allow manufacturers to raise their productivity level, including venturing into the elements of Industry 4.0," he added.Chua also said the government through MITI is currently leading efforts at developing a Framework Policy on Industry 4.0 in collaboration with key ministries such as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Communications and Multimedia."In the Budget 2018 announcement, the government designed specific incentives to push local industries towards Industry 4.0, including the RM245 million matching grant under the Domestic Investment Strategic Fund (DISF).He added that substantial work is in progress to formulate the draft policy framework that is targeted to be finalised by the first quarter next year.MITI is currently looking at the manufacturing and manufacturing related services sector as the starting point for Industry 4.0 adoption in Malaysia."Throughout our engagements, we often encounter requests by companies, especially SMEs, for the government to support businesses in venturing into Industry 4.0.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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