UTHM partners with Mindmatics, 16 others to boost TVET ecosystem

Written by creativemouse on October 14, 2025. Posted in News & Media, Published by New Straits Times.

PAGOH: Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) has stepped up efforts to strengthen the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem by forging strategic partnerships with 17 industry players across multiple sectors.

The collaborations, sealed through the signing of 11 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and eight memoranda of agreement (MoAs), are valued at over RM1.5 million and span industries including solar energy, industrial automation, electronics, rail systems, textiles, and building technology.

UTHM board of directors chairman Datuk Seri Ibrahim Ahmad said such partnerships were crucial in ensuring universities remained connected to real industry needs.

“At the university, we are not merely focused on producing output, but on achieving outcomes that bring real benefits to society and the nation,” he said in his speech at the signing ceremony at the Pagoh Higher Education Hub Convention Centre, yesterday.

He said universities must not exist in isolation, but serve as people-oriented institutions that provide graduates with dignified career pathways and fair remuneration.

“I see this strategy, spearheaded by the Faculty of Engineering Technology (FTK) and its industry partners, as highly commendable. We must continue to develop collaboration models that enable universities to act as technology providers and strategic partners to industry,” he said.

UTHM also received an in-kind endowment worth RM52,000 from Solaroo System Sdn Bhd, consisting of solar panels, photovoltaic (PV) course equipment, and the organisation of a specialised PV course for university staff.

Meanwhile, local defence firm Mindmatics Sdn Bhd was announced as an industry partner in the fields of defence electronics and cybersecurity, with joint projects that include enhancing the CAMAR radar system under an industry matching programme (IMAP) grant worth RM110,800, developing a radio communication monitoring system, and conducting Cyber Range training programmes for UTHM students and staff.

UTHM’s Professional Industry Training Centre (PITC), under FTK, also played a key role in the initiative by coordinating professional training and competency certification programmes.