Technology giant IBM Malaysia and 11 Malaysian higher education institutes will collaborate to produce graduates for an innovation-led economy.
According to IBM, the multidisciplinary curriculum – Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) – would produce the right innovative mix of technology, people and management skills needed to help Malaysia build a knowledge-based economy.
The participating institutions are Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Multimedia University, Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI), and INTI College.
The recognition ceremony was held at the MOSTI-IBM Innovation forum held in Kuala Lumpur, which was supported by the Malaysian ministries of science, technology and innovation (MOSTI) and the ministry of higher education.
Innovation the only way forward
The MOSTI minister Datuk Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili opened the inaugural forum.
He said: “Innovation is the only way to create sustainable competitive advantage in a world of relentless change and increasing global competition. We recognise that human capital is the driving force of the innovation-led economy, therefore we will continue to invest in human capital development as it is critical for improving innovation and ensuring the emergence of a more creative and skilled workforce.”
IBM Malaysia’s managing director, Ou Shian Waei said: “IBM’s collaboration with academia and government reflects our commitment to providing a critical foundation to sustain growth and success in Malaysia’s services sector. It will help differentiate Malaysia’s competitive position globally as we are gearing up to transcend the level of the nation’s service skills and capabilities.”
Ou explained that the services sector in Malaysia is expected to register an annual growth of 7.5 per cent from 2006 to 2020. The contribution to the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2020 is expected to be around 59.7 per cent.
The future professional is T-shaped
Keynote speaker from IBM’s US headquarters, vice president, corporate strategy, IBM growth markets, Dr Anil Menon, spoke of the ideal professional of the future. “We need T-shaped professionals in the future. The letter – T – denotes someone who has in-depth expertise in one area but is able to communicate across a broad range of subjects in a creative fashion.”
Dr Menon explained that professionals now have to work across geographies, cultural differences, and flattening hierarchies. “A culture of innovation is needed; innovation is not a process. A government, an organisation can only create a culture in which innovation can happen.”
Last week, University Sains Malaysia and IBM announced the first result of the collaboration in the availability of Service Science, Management and Engineering as an Executive Masters in Business Administration starting in 2009.
