AN unpredictable and unprecedented technological change is looming with the advent of the (4th IR) 4th Industrial Revolution.
Universities, as the nation’s education nerve centre, are at the core of modulation. They must adapt and grow to be in tandem with the 4th IR which doubtlessly involves advanced digital automation technology, or they can remain ignorant and dormant, thus approaching extinction.
Advancing into a much anticipated future of a technologically sophisticated, wired-up and highly-complex industrial era, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) is allgeared up towards ensuring a future workforce who is highly skilled but also industry-ready.
Through the Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET), the future is back cast.
Tasked with a specific mission and for seeing robust technological advancements, and with amandate by the Higher Education Ministry to prepare more ‘shopfloor’ engineers or better known as technologists, a humble intake of just 300 students in 2011 has now grown to 3,000 students.
The Dean of FET, Assoc Prof Mohd Rahimi Yusoff when met recently asserted that FET has specifically placed its focus on developing engineering graduates who are industry-ready.
“At FET, students are taught differently.
As they are customised for the needs of cutting-edge industries, the curriculum design and programmes are also prepared fully based on ‘industrial needs’ concept, which entails 60 percent of the students’ study time spent in laboratories and workshops, or better known as ‘teaching factories’ with another 40 per cent in lecture rooms.”
With three years of graduates totalling 1,601 students, FET proves meritorious with 90 per cent of its graduates being employed within six months completion of their studies.
He said four key elements have led to the high employability success — the syllabus, which is explicitly delineated to the needs of industries; the provision of factory-scaled equipment in the laboratories and ‘teaching-factories’; industry experienced lecturers or teaching engineers and an undeniably sturdy engagement among its staff members.
“We have allocated a substantial amount of budget inproviding high-tech equipment at the faculty which includes 101 laboratories and workshops to ensure our students are equipped with the latest technical and technological know-how in preparation for the exponential rate of change brought by the 4th IR.
“This is our top spot and our graduates have gained tremendously from the intensive and consistent exposure to industry-scale training and job technicalities. Every year, we see more than 30 per cent of our students who undertook Industrial Training being offered employment while they were still in training. This is a testimony that our engineering technology graduates are high in demand.”
Embracing the 4th IR, FET is all -affirmative and looks forward with great expectations. Embedding the “smart factory,” concept, FET has begun highlighting and adapting the characteristics of Industry 4.0 in its curriculum such as robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) since 2011.
“We have been collaborating with industries and reputable universities from the United States, Korea, Japan and France to develop adept technologies. Dassault Systemes, a world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, has been our strategic industry partner since 2013. FET has since been appointed by Dassault Systemes as the centre for Professional Certification for Solid works and Catia. Highly-sophisticated equipment such as the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines consisting of the 3-Axis CNC Milling, 5-Axis CNC Milling, 2+1 Axis Lathe and the 9-Axis Turn-Mill are used by our students in the ‘teaching factories’. This recognition by Dassault is a validation of our commitment and expertise.
“Our staff and students are also acclaimed in innovation competitions, exhibitions and programmes at international-level through the robotics field in Japan and South Korea. Our students emerged as National Champion in the Airbus Universities Innovation Day for two consecutive years and we reign supreme in the TVET Exposition2017. On the global front, we were among the top at the International Robot Contest 2017 held at Kintex, Il-San Seoul Korea. All these accolades have strengthened our bearing as the first technical university in Malaysia.We hope to eventually become the point of reference for the industry and other engineering technology faculties both locally and internationally.” he said, “UTeM’s slogan ‘Always a Pioneer, Always Ahead’ is close to our hearts and we shall leave it to our potential stakeholders to evaluate us based on the capabilities of our graduates, who are currently serving and making a difference in the industry,” he said, adding that the faculty is currently expanding its scope of technology through the domains of drones and autonomous underwater robotics technology.
“We have to rethink our engineering technology programmes in order to remain relevant.
Industry 4.0 will create disruptions in the labour market, eliminating low skilled or repetitive jobs.
This is where FET steps in — we are definitely not going to wait till we cross the bridge we want to be the bridge—to be ahead, we need to rethink and redesign existing programmes. It may be staggering, but this is our call. We are here to ensure that UTeM produces human resources who are competitive and succeed in the fourth industrial revolution.”
Meanwhile, FET’s Deputy Dean (Industrial Network and Research) Ir. Dr Mohd Farriz Basar said, FET’s research ventures and achievements by its faculty members are also substantial to the faculty’s soaring reputation.
Challenging is an under statement. “Before any competitions or exhibitions, engagements involves journal writing, industrial relations, patterns or designs with grants that sometimes takes months to disburse and complete, in some cases up to several years. However, with endurance, we have managed to come out victorious in numerous national and international competitions,” he said.
Ir. Dr Mohd Farriz has also recently won the Asean Best Practices Award for Renewable Energy Project Competition (Special Submission Category) for the Low Head Low Flow Pico Hydro Generation System with a novel Z-Blade reaction type turbine nomination. The competition was held at the SMX Convention Center, Manila, Philippines in conjunction with 35th Asean Minister on Energy Meeting (35AMEM) and Asean Energy Business Forum (AEBF).
“Other not able research products developed by FET are the Digital Quran which is designed to assist the limbless to read because with the Digital Quran,they can flip to the next page by just moving their heads, and the Smart Detect or which is worn on the head enabling the person to switch on the lights simply by focusing on the said object. Another product featuring integrated IoT and embedded computing technology with virtual controller from smartphone, the Voice-Assisted Wheelchair also won at the Seoul International Invention Fair (SIIF) held in COEX, Seoul, Korea ,” he added. With the 4th IR drawing near, everything gets digitised, customised and smart-mechanised.
Once complex tasks will be automated via IOT and Cloud computing.
While some will interpret it as the convergence of human and technology, others see it asathreat but at UTeM, specifically the Faculty of Engineering Technology, the IR4.0 is a boon, opening doors for breakthrough knowledge and envisioning insights.