MARI: Industry Academia Dialogue

InterContinental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur – The Malaysian Alternative & Renewable Industry (MARI), an active working group under AMCHAM; welcomed leaders from the Solar industry and key academia stakeholders that engaged in a constructive dialogue on furthering Industry Academia Collaborations (IAC).

Chaired by Dato’ P’ng Soo Hong, VP & Managing Director of First Solar Malaysia, and Chairman of MARI, the dialogue began with the sharing of latest updates and current status on human capital development for the Solar industry. The shrinking of Malaysia’s talent pool for the solar industry is a critical concern where creates a direct impact upon the growth of the industry. Malaysian engineers encompass expertise on back end systems but lack device knowledge and front end processing. The average retention rate for talent is captured at 10%, whereas the efflux pattern of talent migration is increasing.

The industry has commented on the hiring experience for fresh graduates include the insufficient competence of presentation, communication and knowledge demonstration skills. The root cause of this is the lack of wholesome grooming and education in universities where graduates are portrayed to be unready for employment.
Notable universities such as USM, UKM, UniKL, UniMap & UTeM are committed to continue working towards bettering and developing the engineering curriculums catered for industry needs and requirements.

Takeaways
● Technical Symposium 2.0
● IAC: Companies will embark on more engagements with universities in Northern, Central and Southern regions
● Universities are encouraged to be pro-active and engage closely with companies of the solar industry