20 December, MEDINI CITY, ISKANDAR PUTERI, JOHOR – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Johor today inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MIM). The MoU sets out the basis of cooperation between UTM and MIM in preparing the UTM graduates for employment, enhancing and equipping these young talents with relevant knowledge and technical know-how that would meet the expectations of the industry.
The signing took place at the Medini Investor Centre @ Medini 6 in Medini City, where the delegation from UTM was led by the Vice Chancellor of UTM, Prof. Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar. MIM was represented by Dr. James Tee, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
The MoU is expected to broaden the opportunity of the young talents, Medini City and UTM. Touted as a sustainable and smart Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri, Medini City has a lot to offer to those who are eager to learn about city development.
“MIM is the first company in Iskandar Puteri that UTM is officially signing with, and we are privileged that MIM is very supportive of local universities like UTM. Being the master developer and master planner of the 2,230 acres thriving township of Medini City, I can see that the development is robust and I understand there is a strong need to retain and grow skilled workforce. Through this collaboration, UTM will give the opportunities to our bright students to garner experience from MIM and hone their skills while learning more about city development”, said Datuk Wahid Omar, Vice Chancellor of UTM.
The first intake will be in February next year, where MIM will recruit undergraduates and postgraduates to fulfil internship programmes at MIM, particularly in the fields of engineering and construction. These programmes are intended to be implemented within a timeframe of three to six months. The internship programme is a good platform for the students to learn, and get first-hand experience to build a well-planned city.
Dr James Tee, Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of MIM said, “Talent building is a critical component in driving the success of a city. MIM has the capacity to connect the industry and the academia to identify and address capability gaps. With the right structure and programmes in place, we can work hand-in-hand to help groom specialised and highly skilled talents relevant for various industries. Apart from MIM, we expect to see other companies taking on similar collaborations with the universities to help build a more dynamic workforce in Iskandar Puteri.”
Dr James added, “Moving forward, there is an immediate opportunity for us to collaborate with UTM through MaGICX on smart technologies such as the application of augmented reality in Medini City, Iskandar Puteri. It is not just about concepts. We want to see those concepts honed and turned into reality. Eventually, these conceptual ideas will be implemented and successfully commercialised. I believe MIM has the capacity to facilitate this process together with the players in Iskandar Puteri to create a bigger and better ecosystem. A larger ecosystem would mean that we will have more talents being channelled into creating wider job opportunities, thereby generating growth in economic activities and city development.”
MIM chose UTM to implement this programme because of its status being one of the most prestigious and respected local universities in Malaysia that is leading in the academic and research fields of engineering, science and technology. We seek bright local talents to be part of this exciting and distinctive journey where Medini City also aspires to be the benchmark for future city development in Malaysia and for the region too.
Datuk Wahid concluded, “There will be many other companies from Iskandar Puteri expected to adopt this initiative within the next few months. For now, we are happy to have kick-started the process for student placement at MIM.”