UMT Signs Aggreements with Telekom Malaysia for Broadband Capacity Upgrade

 Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) hari ini telah memeterai perjanjian dengan Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) bagi menaiktaraf kapasiti perkhidmatan jalur lebar TM Direct dari 16Mbps ke 45Mbps.

Dengan peningkatan kapasiti capaian Internet ke 45Mbps ini, UMT akan berupaya meningkatkan keberkesanan sistem operasinya di seluruh kampus termasuk semua jabatan dan dewan kuliah.

Di majlis ini, TM telah diwakili oleh Y.Bhg Dato’ Adnan Rofiee, Ketua Pegawai Operasi, TM Retail, Malaysia Business, TM manakala UMT diwakili oleh Y.Bhg. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Sulaiman Bin Md Yassin, Naib Canselor, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu .

Perkhidmatan jalur lebar TM Direct yang disediakan oleh TM ini akan memberikan UMT capaian Internet berkelajuan tinggi yang dapat memenuhi segala keperluannya sebagai sebuah organisasi pendidikan yang mementingkan kualiti dan sentiasa mengorak langkah untuk maju kehadapan. Sehubungan dengan itu, teknologi telekomunikasi yang baik dan keselesaan dalam mengakses maklumat dari Internet bukan sahaja akan menambah pengetahuan pihak pengurusan, tenaga pengajar dan pelajarnya, tetapi ia juga dapat meningkatkan prestasi dan daya saing UMT dalam sektor pendidikan global yang semakin kompetetif.

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Sulaiman Md Yassin dalam ucapannya berkata, ” Kami berharap dengan penaiktarafan infrastruktur ini, pelajar UMT akan dapat menerapkan gaya hidup digital masa kini, sekaligus memperolehi pencapaian yang cemerlang dalam pengkhususan pengajian masing-masing”.

Berucap di majlis tersebut, Dato’ Adnan Rofiee berkata, “Penyediaan perkhidmatan litar suwa jalur lebar TM Direct daripada TM ini adalah bertepatan pada masanya kerana ia dapat menyokong pembangunan UMT, disamping meningkatkan keberkesanan pengurusan dan sistem pentadbiran jabatan-jabatan di seluruh kampus”.

”Selain capaian Internet yang laju, TM juga turut menyediakan perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan tambah nilai seperti “web hosting” dan “storage access network” kepada UMT. Dengan ini, UMT akan dapat menyediakan kemudahan ICT yang menyeluruh kepada pelajar-pelajarnya. Selain dari itu, pihak UMT juga akan dapat menikmati penjimatan kos mengurus dan menyelenggara rangkaian datanya kerana ianya akan dipantau dan diselenggarakan sepenuhnya oleh TM melalui Pusat Operasi Rangkaiannya yang berpusat di Kuala Lumpur”, tambah Dato’ Adnan.

Majlis yang diadakan pada hari ini juga merupakan salah satu usaha TM dalam menyokong usaha Kerajaan merealisasikan matlamat penubuhan Wilayah Pembangunan Ekonomi Koridor Pantai Timur (ECER). ECER yang dilancarkan secara rasmi oleh YAB. Dato’ Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, Perdana Menteri Malaysia pada 29 Oktober 2007 di Kuala Terengganu menumpukan kepada tiga sektor utama iaitu Pertanian, Pelancongan dan Pendidikan.

Cisco, MDeC and University of Malaya Collaborate on SME-Focused Training Program

Cisco today announced a collaboration with the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to develop the Cisco® Industrial Training Programme (CiTP). The parties, together with the University of Malaya, hope to establish a unique undergraduate internship programme to identify and train skilled information and communications technology (ICT) networking specialists for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

CiTP will offer on-the-job training opportunities for computer science undergraduate students at the University of Malaya. The interns will be selected from a group of students currently undergoing the Cisco CCNA® curriculum with an excellent academic record. Cisco will prepare the interns through an intensive two-week training programme where they will learn business soft skills to complement their technical knowledge. At the end of this training, students will be assigned to an SME in the MSC Malaysia (formerly known as the Multimedia Super Corridor) to manage and maintain the company's ICT and networking environment for six months. These participating SMEs would be appointed by MDeC.

"Cisco has consistently contributed to the development of skilled ICT networking specialists in Malaysia through the Cisco Networking Academy® programme. CiTP is yet another important initiative centred on a holistic model that delivers true value for students and SMEs," said Anne Abraham, managing director of Cisco Malaysia.

SMEs constitute more than 90 percent of businesses and employ some 65 percent of the total workforce in Malaysia. This market segment is also expected to contribute 37 percent to Malaysia's gross domestic income by end of this year, making them significant to local economic growth.¹ SMEs are always on the lookout for technologies that enable them to focus on business priorities, increase productivity for their business.

"CiTP provides SMEs with the opportunity to realize and reap the benefits of having qualified networking interns and the right talent managing the organisations' network, systems and business. The interns, on the other hand, will be exposed to and work on resolving real situations in a live work environment, often regarded as unique in IT requirements and challenges. The programme would certainly accelerate their learning curve and experience, and eventually cultivate a higher-quality talent pool for the ICT workforce," added Abraham.

As networks continue to transform the way people connect, communicate and collaborate, industry leaders are looking for more innovative ways to cultivate a workforce that can meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in this area. Currently, there are 18,000 ICT employees who are skilled in networking and security. The demand is expected to increase by 14 percent annually over the next three years. In addition, 64 percent of employees prefer to hire engineers that have Cisco certifications in networking and security.²

"The country's talent pool in the networking field is critical to the growth of MSC Malaysia and the overall ICT industry. CiTP is in line with our continuous efforts to develop and nurture a highly skilled workforce, as well as extending our role in accelerating ICT adoption among local SMEs. It tightly matches the needs of both SMEs and our workforce, which represent two key priorities that serve as a catalyst to elevate Malaysia towards a high-income economy," said Muhammad Imran Kunalan Abdullah, general manager, K-Workers Development Department, MDeC Malaysia.

The programme, currently in its pilot phase, will kick off with a total target of 50 selected undergraduates from the faculty to be assigned to designated SMEs. The preliminary training prior to the placement will begin in June, when experts will coach the interns in applicable and useful strategies, technologies, solutions and soft skills for the SME business environment.

"We are excited that our students are the first beneficiaries of CiTP. This is a good example of a public-private initiative that redefines existing education models to bridge the skills gap in Malaysia. Internships have evolved into essential pre-requisites before entering the work-force and students are assessed on the value they bring to organisations. Programs like CiTP boost students' confidence and give them a head-start when starting their professional careers," said Prof Dr Wan Ahmad Tajuddin bin Wan Abdullah, Dean, Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science, University of Malaya.

"While we are setting the standard for a rounded internship programme, and the success of CiTP will determine the scale of implementation moving forward. Eventually, our ambition is to take it further, widen the opportunity, and establish it as an ideal model not only for our peers in the ICT sector, but also across industries in the market," Abraham said.

About MDeC

About Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) is a unique high powered government-owned corporation, established to facilitate the development and promotion of MSC Malaysia, the premier Malaysian ICT initiative. MDeC is tasked to advise the Malaysian Government on ICT legislation and policies, develop MSC Malaysia as a key growth driver of the economy and set breakthrough standards for ICT and multimedia operations. MDeC also promotes MSC Malaysia locally and globally, as well as supports companies which are located within the MSC Malaysia designated areas.

About University of Malaya

University of Malaya, Malaysia's oldest university was established in April 1949 in Singapore with the merger of the King Edward VII College of Medicine (founded in 1905) and Raffles College (founded in 1928). The mission of the university is to advance knowledge and learning through quality research and education for the nation and for humanity. Currently, His Royal Highness The Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan is the Chancellor of the University of Malaya. Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as the tenth Vice-Chancellor of University of Malaya on 8th November 2008. Information about University of Malaya can be found at:http://www.um.edu.my.

Memupuk Modal Insan Celik ICT Melalui KEM ICT 2011

KUALA TERENGGANU - Pada  masa kini, ICT telah menjadi suatu keperluan merentasi pelbagai bidang termasuk dalam urusan pendidikan, perkhidmatan sektor awam, perubatan, penyebaran sumber pengetahuan dan perniagaan.

Sehubungan dengan ini, pengukuhan pendidikan ICT di peringkat sekolah wajar diberi perhatian secara serius dan menyeluruh. Pendekatan ini diambil dalam usaha memastikan tercapainya hasrat kerajaan menuju ke arah Model Ekonomi Baru (MEB) yang berpaksikan pengetahuan dan inovasi.
Negara kita memerlukan lebih ramai tenaga kerja yang dapat membangunkan negara melalui penghasilan pelbagai kemudahan, perkhidmatan dan produk yang berasaskan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi.
Kita perlu berusaha untuk melahirkan modal insan yang mampu membentuk industri ICT negara dalam konteks acuan sendiri.

Hal ini ditekankan oleh Timbalan Pengarah Pelajaran Negeri Terengganu, Hashim Mohd Zin ketika merasmikan KEM ICT 2011 anjuran Fakulti Informatik, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) dan Perbadanan Pembangunan Multimedia (MDeC) dengan kerjasama Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Terengganu (JPNT) pada 17 dan 18 Jun 2011.
Kem ini telah diadakan di UniSZA, Kampus Gong Badak selama dua hari satu malam yang disertai oleh 94 orang pelajar dan 46 orang guru mewakili sekolah menengah di pelbagai daerah di negeri Terengganu. Wakil peserta daripada Kelantan dan Pahang juga turut hadir.

Pelbagai program telah diadakan di dalam kem ini seperti taklimat program pengajian ICT yang ditawarkan oleh Fakulti Informatik, UniSZA iaitu program Diploma, Ijazah Sarjana Muda, Ijazah Sarjana, dan Doktor Falsafah (PhD).
Di samping itu, terdapat juga Forum Kerjaya & Industri, bengkel Adobe Photoshop dan pembinaan laman web, latihan dalam kumpulan, solat berjemaan dan kuliah maghrib, sesi Warung Teh Tarik, Forum Warung Teh Tarik dan kemuncaknya ialah Pertandingan Membina Laman Web.

``Di negeri Terengganu sendiri, kita sudah membudayakan ICT di peringkat sekolah rendah lagi melalui penggunaan e-book dan aplikasi kelas maya.

Kerajaan Terengganu membekalkan e-book kepada semua murid bermula Darjah 5 untuk tujuan pembelajaran. Jadi, bukanlah rakyat Terengganu sekiranya tidak tahu mengenai IT,’’ ujar beliau. Tambahnya lagi, pembudayaan inovasi dan pembangunan teknologi serta kandungan berbentuk glokal harus diterapkan lebih awal terutama dalam sistem pendidikan. Pelajar juga perlu mempunyai kesedaran untuk menyumbang kepada negara apabila sudah berjaya seperti mewujudkan yayasan untuk pembangunan modal insan pelapis.

Sementara itu, Pengurus Kanan, Talent, MDeC, Nik Naharudin Mohd Nasir berkata, sejumlah 85,000 peluang pekerjaan dalam bidang ICT negara diperlukan menjelang 2015.
Katanya, pihak MDeC akan menyediakan satu kit informasi ICT lengkap berkaitan peluang kerjaya dan industri ICT kepada semua guru kaunselor sekolah dalam masa terdekat bagi memastikan maklumat ICT yang tepat disampaikan kepada pelajar dan ibubapa.

Sementara itu Dekan Fakulti Informatik, Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd Nordin Abdul Rahman yang merupakan pengerusi KEM ICT 2011 menegaskan yang ICT merupakan satu industri pilihan kepada rakyat Malaysia.
Pelajar digesa untuk menyambung pengajian dalam bidang ini kerana ia menjanjikan peluang pekerjaan yang besar.
``Melalui KEM ICT 2011 yang telah memasuki tahun ketiga penganjurannya, kita mengharapkan maklumat yang tepat tentang industri ICT negara dapat disebar dan seterusnya menarik minat pelajar untuk menyambung pengajian dalam bidang ini,” katanya.

Beliau juga menyuarakan yang ramai ibubapa mendapat gambaran tidak tepat tentang graduan ICT yang menganggur satu ketika dahulu. Senario sekarang sudah berubah di mana peluang pekerjaan ICT sekarang sudah menyeluruh sehinggakan pejabat agama sendiri memerlukan orang ICT untuk membangun atau menyelenggara sistem maklumat dan rangkaian.

Kem ini berakhir dengan pertandingan membina laman web antara sekolah. Pertandingan diadakan setelah para pelajar selesai mengikuti bengkel intensif  Membina Laman Web dan Adobe Photoshop.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Rantau Petronas telah muncul menjadi juara diikuti oleh SMK Agama Sheikh Abdul Malek sebagai naib juara dan Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuala Terengganu menduduki tempat ketiga.


Sumber Berita   SUHAILAN SAFEI

Holistic education

THE International Medical University (IMU) will be promoting its new course on Chinese Medicine at the Star Education Fair 2011.

IMU’s marketing and communications manager Low Shu Shian said course graduates would be able to provide a more holistic view of the problem to the patient. 

IMU students conducting an oral check during the Oral Health Awareness Day.

 

“That’s because we are integrating Chinese and Western medicine where students would have to take certain modules taught by the faculty based on Western medicine,” she said.

Low added the course would enable them to have a more competitive edge in future as certain hospitals in Malaysia had started to introduce Chinese medication.

Low said the first intake for the Chinese medicine course would be in February.

A representative from each faculty will be on hand to provide consultation and information on the courses available at IMU, which is noted for its programmes in the field of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

And for students who prefer to head overseas to pursue their dreams in the medical field, they can head to the Medic Ed Consultant Sdn Bhd’s four booths at the fair.

The consultation agency can arrange to send students to countries like Indonesia, Taiwan and Russia to study courses like medicine, pharmacy and dentistry,

Its manager Dr Ho Chong Hang said they had sent 1,800 students overseas in the past nine years.

“Our staff will provide consultation to students on the best path to pursue,” he said, adding they were targeting up to 60 science students to sign up for the programme

LIMKOKWING

Developing the ICT industry of tomorrow

Limkokwing is producing a new generation of ICT-savvy young talents that will reinvent the future.

As a country with a vision of becoming a self-sufficient industrialised nation by the year 2020, Malaysia is healing in the right direction with its citizens fast gaining ground in the world of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

On the same note, the nation’s premier university in creativity and innovation - Limkokwing University of Creative Technology - is taking the lead by producing graduates that are equipped with the right skills and capabilities to take on the ICT industry worldwide.

The university provides cutting edge digital technology courses complete with the latest technological equipment, a combination capable of honing the next batch of well-rounded graduates that will steer   the future of this country to greater heights.

Limkowing University’s Faculty of Information and Communication Technology offers Internationally-recognised BSc degree in Mobile Computing, Games Technology, as well as Postgraduate studies in Computing Networking and Communication, among others.

Modules include:

• Game programming
• Digital Modeling & Animation
• Artificial Intelligence
• Interactive Multimedia
• Real-Time System
• Internet Security Knowledge
• Grid Computing

The holistic approach of a Limkowing education is designed to ensure that their graduates are industry-ready and able to blend in with diffirent cultures and nationalities, making them attractive to potential employers.

Some of the career options one would consider as an ICT graduate would be: Chief Information Officers (CIO), Security Analyst and Analyst Programmer among others.

Living and learning at the Cyberjaya campus of Limkowing University of Creative Technology is an experience unlike any other. Student from all over the world converge, making this a dynamic multicultural environment with 70% of the 9,000 students coming from over 160 countries worldwide.

The university has some 30,000 students studying in its 12 campuses in Botswana, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lesotho, Malaysia and United Kingdom. A big part of its appeal is its innovation brand of creative education that merges the best of East and West education.

For its role in reinventing the landscape of tertiary education in Malaysia, the university has received over 100 awards from across four continents. Today, Limkokwing University’s degrees and diplomas are delivered in 20 countries and its global network if 282 university partners covers 77 countries worldwide.

With innovation as the driving force behind the university’s mission, the Limkokwing Global Experience is another unique effort in pioneering creative education. Exclusive to Limkokwing University, this is a revolutionary way of learning in several countries while en route to completing your degree.

It is a different and innovative kind of learning experience specially designed for a globally focused graduate keen to tackle the challenges of a globalized marketplace.

In your pursuit of knowledge, open your mind to an endless variety of possibilities when you chose to do your semesters in different countries. This will surely enhance your learning experience in the field of your choice.

You will have the opportunity to interact and study with students around the world. This multicultural exposure and the highly creative and innovative experience will mould you into the most confident, accomplished and in-demand graduate in the region.

In a rapidly developing world, the learning experience today has to include exposing young people to global business trends and innovation.

London – one of the world’s most vibrant and lively cities – is the heart of Limkokwing’s Global Research Centre for Creativity and Innovation. Located in the heart of thriving Piccadilly, the campus provides students with a unique opportunity to cross over to nearby locations for research in business, design, multimedia or any other field of study.

With a combination of the biggest companies, brands and business innovation, Limkokwing has designed an experience of London that is both class-based and complete with industry exposeure.

Students attend industry dialogues and talks, and are taken on site visits to expose them to global trends and expectations in their respective area of study.

Some of the famous names that were part of the industry visits are Harrods, Laura Ashley, the Royal Institute of Architects and Norman Foster.

MASTERSKILL UNIVERSITY

 Much equips students with netbooks

KUALA LUMPUR: Masterskill University College of Health Sciences (Much) purchased 10,000 X100e ultraportable notebooks from Lenovo Malaysia for use by its students.

The move is part of the university's "One Student, One Netbook" project to equip its students with the right learning tool in their quest for knowledge.

To date, 5,000 netbooks have been delivered to the university, with the remaining units expected to be sent before year end.

According to university vice-chancellor Datuk Professor Dr Nik Rahimah Nik Yacob, Much is already seeing a significant return on its investment.

"The netbooks are used by the students on and off campus, and gives them constant access to the Internet and Much online resources, such as course materials that enable them to prepare for their lectures," she said.

The project has also helped raise efficiency and productivity levels of the lecturers.

According to Nik Rahimah, the inclusion of Lenovo's ThinkVantage Technologies - a set of system support utilities - is another reason why the university selected the netbook.

"Like any large organisation, the Much IT-team has the unenviable task of managing and administering the netbooks to ensure that they are constantly updated to help maximise system performance and minimise security risk," she said.

The IT team leverages on the ThinkVantage System Update feature that intelligently knows the status of any PC. It can sort through available updates and select the ones needed by each device.

When the students move between wireless and wired environments, the ThinkVantage Access Connection is smart enough to make the appropriate connections without any user intervention.

Also, with the ThinkVantage Rescue & Recovery system, most system corruptions can be corrected in three minutes or less, making this the fastest recovery solution available in the market today, according to Lenovo

MMU, Ericsson and TM building digital-home showcase

SMART DEAL: Guda (left) and Zaharin exchanging contracts at the MoU signing event in Cyberjaya. The ceremony was witnessed by TM Bhd chairman Datuk Dr Halim Shafie (middle).

 

CYBERJAYA: The Multimedia University (MMU) has inked a deal with Ericsson Malaysia and TM Research & Development (TM R&D) to set up a "digital home."

The "home" is an apartment-like setting on the university's premises that will showcase Ericsson Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solutions.

Some of the cool features that visitors will able to see are home users simultaneously viewing a movie on an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) system while chatting in realtime with other viewers via another part of the TV screen.

They will also be able to see how content such as videos and still images can be "pushed" from smartphones or some other portable device to the TV, and vice versa, at the push of a button.

Ericsson Malaysia said that IMS is an open-standards solution which enables seamless integration and interoperability across various devices and communications platforms.

These include 3G mobile services, wireline broadband access with WLAN (wireless local area network) endpoints, according to Krishnakumar Guda, president of Ericsson Malaysia.

Under the deal, Ericsson Malaysia will furnish the "home" with IMS-based equipment while TM R&D will provide system connectivity and its expertise in other relevant areas.

The showcase will be ready in a few weeks time, Guda said.

He said the partnership will also give students and university staff the opportunity to become IMS application developers.

"Commercially viable applications created by them can be distributed globally via the Ericsson eStore - an online marketplace with up to two billion potential customers worldwide," he said.

MMU president Prof Dr Zaharin Yusoff said this is an excellent opportunity for the students and staff to venture into application development, a skill with which they can earn international recognition and monetary rewards.

"At MMU, we believe in encouraging our students and staff to be innovators and to develop their talents. This latest collaboration opens up global avenues that will help achieve this goal," he added.