(From left) Shawn Keng Teck Ee, Marketing Support Executive of Eppendorf Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd; Faiz Sulaiman, Regional Manager of Rock Flow Dynamics (RFD); Ivan Chong Wai Hong, HR Business Partner of AIA Shared Services; UCSI lecturer as representative of

UCSI’s Vice-Chancellor and President Senior Prof Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff highlighting the importance of universities maintaining a good relationship with the industry.

Students from UCSI’s Institute of Music performing soulful ballads that impressed the crowd.

Representatives from various companies having a light moment before the event.

Representatives from various companies having a light moment before the event.

KUALA LUMPUR: UCSI University (UCSI) recently awarded 10 renowned and prestigious companies in conjunction with their annual Co-Operative Education Placement Programme (Co-Op) Appreciation Luncheon. More than 200 individuals from various local and international companies attended the event. 

Divided into three award categories, among the 10 companies to receive these awards are Leo Burnett who won ‘The Most Engaging Co-Op Partner’ award, AIA Shared Services for ‘The Most Supportive Co-Op Partner’ award, and Aladdin Street Sdn Bhd for ‘The Most Supportive Co-Op Partner: Premium Co-op Supporter’ award. Top Glove and Public Bank Berhad was also among the list of recipients to receive these awards. 

“We are indeed very delighted to receive this recognition given by the University. Since 2006, we have been accepting students from UCSI coming in with a lot of excitement and anticipation, and we are proud to offer them what they wanted; real-life working experiences, opportunity to speak with clients and attend training sessions at our training centres,” said Shawn Keng Teck Ee, Marketing Support Executive of Eppendorf Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd on receiving ‘The Most Supportive Co-Op Partner’ award. 

Organised by UCSI’s Student Affairs and Alumni Division (SAA), the Luncheon aims to show gratitude towards the support from the esteemed partners of its Co-Op programme. 

UCSI University’s Vice-Chancellor and President Senior Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff, who was present at the event, highlighted the issues graduates faced upon entering the workforce and stressed the importance of universities staying ahead of global trends. 

“On the quality of graduates, the Ministry aspires to increase the current 75% graduate employability rate to more than 80% in 2025. According to the Malaysia Education Blueprint for Higher Education 2015–2025, there is a mismatch in the supply and demand of graduates, with employers reporting that graduates lack the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes. This mismatch is only expected to get tougher to resolve as technological disruptions reshape industries and alter the types of jobs available. 

“Preparing Malaysian youth to thrive in this complex and ever-changing future became an utmost importance to all higher learning institutions. Universities are hard pressed to nurture human talents and widen their graduates’ horizons beyond providing an avenue for deeper learning, fostering analytical and critical thinking, objective enquiry and presenting research. And UCSI University has made this multitask agenda its own.” 

Also present at the event was Dato' Ir. Dr Gue See Sew, G&P Professionals Sdn Bhd’s CEO; Dato' Ku Yee Fei, iTrain (M) Sdn Bhd’s Executive Director; and Dato’ Wesley Ong, Aladdin Street Sdn Bhd’s Executive Director; among many others. 

UCSI’s Co-Op programme formally integrates classroom learning with workplace training in Co-Op employer organisations. As part of their degree requirements, students enrolled in UCSI programmes are required to complete a co-op module comprising two months’ work experience for each year of their degree programme; beginning in Year One right through to the Final Year. As of today, UCSI has established more than 3,500 Co-Op partners.