PETALING JAYA: Academia must keep pace with the government's vision for artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to produce a workforce capable of developing rather than merely adopting future technologies, says Sri Serdang assemblyman Abbas Salimi Azmi.
He said academia and educators played a crucial role in preparing Malaysians for the rapidly evolving digital economy and the country could not afford to become complacent as technology advanced.
"We cannot rest on our laurels. Technology is growing rapidly and we need a workforce equipped with the right skills to keep pace with these changes. This is why the role of academia and educators has to be in line with the vision of our government. There has to be a viable plan to prepare ourselves for the future," he said after launching the Qualcomm Academy Training Centre at Telecommunication Engineering College (TEC).
Abbas said Malaysia should aspire to become a developer of advanced technologies instead of merely applying innovations created elsewhere.
Recalling Malaysia's second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Abbas said the late leader faced criticism for making repeated visits to China during his time.
"China was still riding bicycles at the time while Malaysia already had motorcycles and cars. People questioned why he kept going to China but Tun Razak believed the country would one day become a global economic powerhouse. Forty years later, he was right.
"We too cannot remain in our comfort zone. We must prepare now for the technologies that will shape the future and ensure Malaysia is among those developing them," he said, adding that he was hopeful Selangor would become the first state to fully develop and embrace AI technologies.
Meanwhile, TEC director Suresh Kumar Kandasamy said the college had become Malaysia's first Qualcomm Academy Training Centre through a collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies.
He said the academy would offer internationally recognised training in AI and other industry-relevant skills to improve employability and help reduce unemployment.
Suresh said the initiative aims to eventually produce 20,000 skilled talents nationwide to support Malaysia's ambition of becoming a leading AI nation.
