KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) has successfully produced 442 technopreneurs with cumulative sales of RM120.8 million through the Technopreneur Diploma programme at the MARA Skills Institute (IKM), since 2016 until July this year.
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) Datuk Rubiah Wang said the diploma studies covered fields such as electrical, fashion, textiles, furniture, landscaping and air-conditioning.
“Students are required to register a business where sales figures are used as a measure of achievement, which is distinctly different from traditional academic grading.
“For example, in the electrical field at IKM Seberang Perai Utara, 28 entrepreneurs achieved total sales of RM45.1 million and created job opportunities for 121 people,” he said during an oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara today.
She was replying to a supplementary question from Senator Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, who asked about the government’s confidence in MARA’s ability to produce graduates who are not only competitive in the industry but also become innovators and technopreneurs.
Meanwhile, Rubiah shared that MARA has allocated RM50 million through a Special Education Fund to upgrade MARA Educational Institutions (IPMA) to improve the quality of education and overcome outdated infrastructure.
She said this is to ensure students are prepared to face emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Rubiah also mentioned MARA’s collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to strengthen information and communication technology (ICT) facilities at MARA Junior Science Colleges (MRSM), in addition to introducing digital learning, flexible approaches and the “Teaching Factory” concept, which bridges academia and industry.
She was responding to Nik Mohamad Abduh’s original question on steps taken to ensure that educational institutions under MARA continue to produce graduates who can meet the demands of high-tech industries. — Bernama
