SEALING THE DEAL: UCSI Group founder and chairman Dato’ Peter Ng exchanging the agreement for UCSI University to build a new campus in Perak with CEO of Jumbo Straits Mr Sunny Yee (right) as Perak Menteri Besar Dato’ Dr Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir (second from

UCSI COMMITS TO PERAK: UCSI University’s vice-chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff expressing UCSI’s commitment to raising education excellence in Perak.

PERAK’S EDUCATION AND TOURISM BOOST: Perak Menteri Besar Dato’ Dr Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir answering questions from reporters on UCSI’s soon-to-be-built campus in Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Perak state will soon see a boost in hospitality and tourism through a collaboration agreement between UCSI University and Jumbo Straits Sdn Bhd (JS). The signing ceremony – graced by Perak Menteri Besar YAB Dato' Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir – took place on Oct 17, 2013 at UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur Campus. 

The agreement will see the development of UCSI University’s fifth campus and its first to be built in the education hub of Bandar Seri Iskandar (BSI). BSI is the biggest township development project in central Perak that will accommodate an education hub, quality residential homes, and leisure and entertainment facilities, among others. 

Hailing the partnership, UCSI Group founder and chairman Dato’ Peter Ng highlighted that the joint collaboration is an excellent strategy to generate more skilled as well as specialised human resource for the hospitality and tourism sector on the local front to meet the increasing needs of this growing industry. This is particularly pertinent, as the multibillion-dollar tourism industry has been earmarked by the Perak government as one of the key sectors with excellent growth potential. 

“This purpose-built campus will house a boutique hotel that will serve as an in-house training centre for students under our Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, other state-of-the-art facilities and a hostel,” he elaborated. 

“And as a Praxis university™, our students will enjoy avenues to apply theory to practice in real-life settings. Such exposure will ensure our young talents are schooled in industry know-how to meet – and even go beyond – industry expectations.” 

Sharing this view, UCSI University’s vice-chancellor and president, Professor Dato' Dr Khalid Yusoff added that the industry is constantly on the lookout for skilled workers. 

"Higher education institutions need to step up efforts to cater to this increasing demand," he said. 

"UCSI University has a long, well proven track record and success in this field. As such, the new campus (at BSI) is an extension of our experience. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the hospitality and tourism industry and to Perak through this initiative." 

Deliberations are also in place to develop various other programmes in the areas of Social Science, Business and IT for the campus. 

Upon completion, the campus will have the capacity to cater to a community of more than 5,000 people and its strategic location is expected to also attract students from the northern states like Penang, Perlis and Kedah. 

Apart from the campus, other notable developments in the pipeline include the setting up of another UCSI international school – one that will cater for and be able to house up to 2,000 students. 

The school will run internationally recognised curricula, catering to preschool learners up to high school diploma students. It will be delivered by a team of qualified and experienced teachers – a mix of both local and international educators. 

Among those who were in attendance at the signing ceremony are Perak Menteri Besar YAB Dato' Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir, Dato’ Peter Ng, UCSI Group founder and chairman, UCSI University’s vice-chancellor and president, Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff and JS directors. 

UCSI is one of the nation’s first private institutions of higher learning while JS is the company that specialises in the development of the education hub in Perak.