mou

Followed by the launch of the Talent Ready Integrated Graduates Employability Smart System (TiGrESS) that took place at APU previously, we are pleased to share that APU is now on board to adopt the system, in which our students and alumni are able to interact with potential employers and companies.

The system, developed by ICONIX Consulting, is an integrated Triparty Graduate Employability Management Services platform. A MoU was signed earlier this month by Prof Ron Edwards, Vice-Chancellor, in conjunction with the Together Gather 2017 forum, that was organized by the Ministry of Higher Education to discuss problems and solutions in relation to employability. The ceremony was also witnessed by YB Datuk Dr Mary Yap Kain Ching (Deputy Minister of Higher Education), Norhizam Hadir (Vice President, Growth Ecosystem Development, MDEC) and Associate Prof Dr Arham Abdullah (Director, Industry Relation Division, Ministry of Higher Education).

In line with the implementation of the system, we look forward to seeing our students being exposed to the vast opportunities for jobs and internships in the market, through the system that encourages interaction and knowledge sharing, we hope that our students are able to benefit by being more well-equipped as graduates later on.

We are pleased to announce that APU has embarked on joint venture efforts with EStream Software Sdn Bhd at the recent MoU signing ceremony between both parties on Tuesday, 26th January 2016. 

The signing ceremony was held at FBM @ Mines and the Memorandums were signed and exchanged by Professor Dr. Siva Muthaly, Dean of Faculty of Business & Management and Mr. Desmond Law Hoe Yan, Managing Director of EStream Sdn Bhd.  

The event was also graced by the with the presence of members of various faculties, Professor Dr. Andy Seddon – Dean of Quality Assurance & Partnerships, Associate Professor Dr. Tee Ding Ding – Head of School of Management and Mrs Kwan – Head of School of Accounting, Finance & Quantitative Studies. 

SQL Account, a software provided by EStream, is widely recognized as the best-selling accounting software in 2015.  More than 120,000 companies have chosen SQL Account as their business processing tool of choice.  Users have given SQL Account the highest rating, especially for GST filing.  EStream Sdn Bhd has trained more than 1,000 accountants and accounting technicians in their nationwide workshops.

The School of Accounting, Finance & Quantitative Studies (SAFIQS) will be working with EStream in developing the following areas:-

1)    To initiate joint projects involving collaborative research and to share expertise and joint development of research;
2)    To facilitate exchanges of ideas and facilities among the Parties, including attachment and mutual visits by staff members to pursue research, curriculum development, and to participate in seminars, conferences, workshops, etc. relevant to the industry;
3)    To facilitate industrial study visits of APU undergraduate and postgraduate students and mutual visits by staff members of the Parties where appropriate for the purpose of enhancing learning experience, professional development and curriculum development; and
4)    To facilitate industrial placement of APU students.

We are pleased to announce that APU had signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ERL Maintenance and Support Sdn. Bhd. (E-MAS).  E-MAS is a subsidiary of YTL Corporation, in which its main role is to provide engineering and maintenance support to the existing high-speed-train (HST) KLIA Ekspres.  The HST provides transportation to thousands of passengers every day, linking KL Sentral to KLIA and KLIA 2.

The MOA is the result of multiple meetings involving Head of School of Engineering, Dr. Thang Ka Fei, Dean of Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology, Prof. Ir. Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Director of Environmental Investments at YTL, Mr. Ralph Dixon, and CEO of E-MAS Mr. Thomas Baake.  In addition, simulation and feasibility studies are conducted as an ongoing process to determine the optimum mechanism to harvest wind energy at the field.    

Under the MOA, School of Engineering student, Bryan Ooi Joon Kit will complete the final year project (FYP) under the supervision of Mr. Alvin Yap Chee Wei, with the title of “Electricity Generation From Train Movement on KLIA Ekspres”. Phase I of the project has been completed and the student is currently undergoing Phase II of the project for testing and completion.  The MOA was signed on 22nd January 2016, by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ron Edwards representing the University and CEO Mr. Thomas Baake representing E-MAS. The ceremony was witnessed by the Head of School of Engineering, Dr. Thang Ka Fei.

Through this collaboration, our students contribute by applying the knowledge to develop sustainability solution to real world problems, while building industry network and preparing to enter the workforce.  The research is one-of-a-kind in the world and when completed, and it propels YTL – APU to the forefront of wind energy research on HST. 

On November 18, 2015 (Wednesday),  VMware Inc (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, announced a collaboration with Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) by signing  an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).  The collaboration will enable students with the right knowledge and skills on virtualization and cloud technologies as part of APU and VMware’s commitment in developing relevant skillsets to support Malaysia’s growing digital economy.  

The MoA was signed by Prof. Dr. Andy Seddon (Dean, Quality Assurance and Partnership, APU) and Mr. Laurence Si (Country Manager, VMWare Malaysia) at One World Hotel in conjunction with VMware vForum event which, IT professionals  engage with experts and learn about the latest technologies, tips, and trends in the Information Technology.

As a result of this MoA, the APU-VMware collaboration will include the following provisions to staff and students, and more:

1. The creation of a Center of Excellence, known as the VMware Cloud Innovation Centre, where VMware software-defined datacentre and cloud solutions will be hosted on the APU campus, providing staff and students the platform for training, talent development, research and development and proof of concept initiatives. APU will also have access to materials and tools created by VMware engineers via the VMware IT Academy Program resources and VMware Laboratory. Training modules and activities will include webinars, technical deep-dive discussions.
2. Leveraging VMware’s expertise in enabling businesses in Malaysia in today’s mobile-cloud era, VMware will collaborate with APU to jointly develop relevant APU-VMware elective or specialization module(s) in emerging technologies, such as cloud computing, software defined networks and software-defined datacentres. Joint APU-VMware Industrial Certification will also be provided to successful students upon elective module(s) completion. 
3. VMware will provide a 70 percent discount off VMware Certified Professional Certification examination fees for eligible APU full-time students as prescribed under the VMware IT Academy Program.
4.  VMware will also sponsor awards for outstanding APU students and/or graduates who have completed the training and gained VMware Certified Professional (VCP) and Associate (VCA) certifications. 
5. APU will appoint VMware Student Ambassadors to lead university activities to raise students’ awareness of the VMware IT Academy Program, VCA and VCP Certifications, and virtualization and cloud computing technologies.

As a part of its commitment in developing Malaysia’s next-generation workforce, VMware will be also be providing internship opportunities, providing on-the-job training for students to gain relevant work experience and witness technology in action.