| Danial Norjidi |
IT IS critical for universities as well as vocational and technical education institutions to ensure that their graduates are competent, innovative and effective.
This was stated by Dr Haji Azman bin Ahmad, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education (MoE) at the opening ceremony of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) CoNECT Fair 2017 yesterday.
He congratulated UBD on its achievement in the 2018 QS Asia University Rankings, saying the rise in the rankings is testament to the university’s aspiration to continue to excel in teaching and learning, research and service to the community.
He said one of the indicators used in the rankings is that of ‘employee reputation’, which accounts for 20 per cent – a sizeable proportion to the regional rankings, second only to academic reputation. Data for this metric is obtained from a survey which asks employers to identify those institutions from which they source the most competent, innovative and effective graduates.
Dr Haji Azman highlighted that this criteria reflects the importance of employability and employment prospects for today’s university applicants and graduates.
“While it is important for universities and vocational and technical education institutions to ensure their initiatives are aligned towards reaching the target of our national KPI 1.6, which is the graduation rate, the MoE considers it critical for these institutions, including UBD, to ensure that their graduates are competent, innovative and effective,” he said.
“We need to ensure our education system stays relevant to the national goal of increasing the percentage of professionals and skilled workforce required to support the country’s economic growth as well as to reduce unemployment.
“Therefore, this may require them (universities and vocational and technical education institutions) to be more creative in designing their curriculum, offering high value programmes, always at the forefront of innovative teaching, learning and research, and adaptable to changes and challenges,” he continued. “At the end of the day, our desire is to produce graduates who are marketable, employable and job-ready.”
Dr Haji Azman stated that, “As a world-ranked institution, UBD has steadily provided and supported its students and alumni with several avenues to assist them in achieving certain skills pertaining to their respective programmes, more so in today’s context.”
This, he noted, is done through joint collaborations with numerous stakeholders and agencies encompassing curriculum development, Discovery Year placements, competitions as well as career talks and clinics organised by UBD’s CoNECT (Centre of Networking, Employment and Career Training).
He said the centre’s newly improved web portal grants students access to an array of relevant career-related material, provides advice on their chosen career, as well
as plan their career journey using the Career Passport feature at the click of a button.
Additionally, the centre organised the current career fair to offer its students a platform to increase their professional network in their career development journey and entrepreneurship.
“I applaud UBD for organising this fair, which aims to continue to connect students and job seekers with industry professionals from various sectors,” he said. “It is also a platform which I hope will encourage and strengthen collaborations between the university and its alumni, the public as well as the private agencies in addressing the unemployment issue or skills gap among graduates in this country.”
He said the fair allows the industry and employers to give their feedback to UBD and other higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam of the qualities and skills needed in the current as well as future job market.
“I understand the focus of this year’s fair includes UBD’s commitment to promote lifelong learning through the provision of innovative approaches to pursue and apply beneficial knowledge for its graduates and public to remain relevant in the global market. This can be seen from the involvement of UBD’s relevant offices and centres, such as C3L (Centre for Lifelong Learning), in the fair’s exhibitions where I am sure visitors can learn more about these opportunities.
“I am also pleased to learn that there is an increase in the number of participants from government agencies, private sector and industry in this year’s fair,” he said. “On this note, I urge UBD to continue its active collaboration and cooperation with the relevant stakeholders.
“As this is a starting point for the career development of our young generation, it is important to prepare and empower them as a crucial human resource for the current and future development of the country,” he highlighted.
Addressing students and graduates, he said, “I encourage you all to take the most out of this fair by exploring all exhibits and investing a little bit more time interacting with the participating employers and recruiters as they could well be your employer if
not now, perhaps in the near future.
“Find out what current employment opportunities are available and gain an understanding and insight of the scope of these sectors,” he added.
“InsyaAllah, this will assist you in making more informed decisions in choosing your career pathways sutured to your interests and aspirations and at the same time contributing towards the realisation of Brunei Vision 2035.”
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