KUCHING: Sarawak Skills Development Centre (PPKS), under its subsidiary PPKS Ilmu Sdn Bhd, has bought the Inti College Sarawak facility in Jalan Stampin here.
Inti College Sarawak is closing at the end of the year.
PPKS Ilmu Sdn Bhd, which operates International College of Advanced Technology Sarawak (i-CATS), paid RM22mil and will be setting up i-CATS West Campus there next year.
PPKS Ilmu Sdn Bhd and Inti Education Sdn Bhd yesterday signed an agreement for Inti College Sarawak and the agreement spelt out the rights and obligation of both parties with regard to the sales and purchase of the facility.
PPKS Ilmu Sdn Bhd managing director and CEO Datuk Baharudin Abdullah and Inti Education Sdn Bhd chief financial officer Roberto Antonides signed the agreement, witnessed by State Secretary Tan Sri Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani.
Speaking to reporters, PPKS chairman and i-CATS president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Husain said the West Campus could accommodate about 3,000 students while the present campus in Jalan Canna Tabuan Jaya or East Campus could accommodate 1,500 students.
“Some of Inti College Sarawak employees will be absorbed into i-CATS,” he said, adding that the West Campus with its spacious and high-tech training and learning facilities would house management and technical courses.
Earlier in Baharudin’s speech, he said they would start moving to the West Campus next April, with the first student intake in July.
“With the rapid awareness and demand in technical and vocational training, the existing campus in Jalan Canna will not be able to accommodate the increasing student population and expansion plan for more training facilities.”
He said the signing of the agreement was timely and demonstrated PPKS’ commitment towards providing technical training and education provider in the state.
With the takeover of the facility, he said, i-CATS would be focusing more on business, management, tourism and hospitality courses and expected to commence its business by next July pending regulatory approval from the Education Ministry.
“The present i-CATS operations in Jalan Canna will remain as it is and renamed as i-CATS East Campus.”
“This development is in tandem with our effort to realise our vision of turning i-CATS into a university college in 2017,” he added.
Baharuddin said the new campus would help to produce more competent workforce either in skill-based or academic background.
Antonides said Inti had successfully relocated its staff and students to the Subang, Penang, Kuala
Lumpur, Nilai and Kota Kinabalu campuses.
He said Inti College would continue to establish close working relationship in Sarawak in the development of human resources for the state and country.
In mid January, the institute of higher learning announced that its Sarawak campus would close by the end of the year due to declining student population.
The campus is being phased out after over 20 years in operation.
It moved into the 1.4ha campus, which was formerly the premises of St Patrick School, in December, 1992.