More front-end activities needed to ensure valuable learning
COMPANIES should provide meaningful internship opportunities rather than assigning interns mainly to routine tasks.
This, says Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) technical director Dr Lee Hing Wah, will give them realistic, industry-relevant exposure.
“When students go for internships, they are often asked to do labour-intensive activities, such as data collection, which ultimately do not bring much value to them.
“We need to encourage more front-end activities where they can design their own products and develop their own technology.
“There’s a need to shift the mindset of companies,” he said at UCSI University’s AI and Semiconductor Forum held in Kuala Lumpur on July 4.
Lee, who also heads Sidec’s semiconductor and venture division, noted that Malaysia’s ability to compete in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors will depend on how quickly it can build the right talent and strengthen university-industry collaboration.
This, he said, is necessary to realise Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) and the National AI Action Plan 2030.
“Central to the nation’s policy is the NSS, with talent development as a key deliverable to enable Malaysia to move up the value chain,” he added.
Building on this, he stressed that talent policies must translate into meaningful experiences for students on the ground.
In her opening address, UCSI president and vice-chancellor Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said the varsity partnered with ViTrox earlier this year to deliver its mechatronics engineering degree at the company’s industrial campus.
“This gives students early exposure to real production environments and prepares them for the AI and semiconductor era from day one,” she said.
The AI and Semiconductor Forum was held in conjunction with the launch of UCSI’s Master in Engineering (Applied AI) programme, which aims to train graduates and working professionals to apply AI in advanced manufacturing and industrial engineering.
The one-year programme focuses on real-world applications, preparing students to use AI to solve industrial problems rather than study the technology in isolation, the varsity said in a July 6 press release.
