IBM與MMU合力培育本地專才

IBM collaborates with MMU and Share/Guide Association Malaysia to build talent and skills
(from left to right): Chu Hong Keong, Chairman of Share/Guide Association Malaysia , Ou Shian Waei, Managing Director of IBM Malaysia and Associate Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat, Dean of Faculty of Information Technology, MMU

Kuala Lumpur, 14 September 2007 - IBM Malaysia recently announced strategic partnerships with Multimedia University (MMU) and Share/Guide Association Malaysia (Share/Guide) targeted at increasing the knowledge and skills on mainframe.

Recent survey conducted by the MSC Malaysia K-Workers Development Institute (KDI) has shown that the demand for skills on Mainframe Engineering supersedes the supply talent pool. The 3 parties are embarking on this joint initiative to address the anticipated skills shortage in mainframe professionals locally and globally.

The official signing ceremony was held at the Share/Guide Conference 2007, themed “ICT in 50 Years of Nation Building & Beyond…”. The signing marks the beginning of three-way relationship between MMU, Share/Guide and IBM Malaysia in addressing the anticipated skills shortage in mainframe professionals locally and globally.

“IBM seeks to incorporate innovation into practical learning. We want to make learning and talent building easy and accessible to everyone, at any where and time. We strive to plug the gaps in the supply of knowledge workers by collaborating with the industry players and academia. More importantly, we take on the responsibility of being the central driving force at implementing and administrating programmes towards developing human capital and building a skilled workforce” said Ou Shian Waei, Managing Director of IBM Malaysia.

Mainframes tend to be hidden from the public eye. They do their jobs dependably--indeed, with high reliability, high availability and scalability. It is also highly secure and very resistant to most forms of insidious abuse that afflict PCs, such as e-mail-borne viruses and Trojan Horses.
“IBM mainframes can run different applications such as payroll, human resources, among others, on multiple operating systems, through the use of virtualization technology and the IBM mainframe has also long embraced Linux and open standard technologies. Just about everyone could have interacted with a mainframe at one point or another. In fact, Malaysia 1st computer is an IBM mainframe installed in 1965 at he National Electricity Board Headquarters,” Ou added.

This initiative will see students from Multimedia University and members of Share/Guide having access to world class educational material, effective technical training and innovative learning material on mainframe.

Under this partnership, IBM Malaysia will provide a total of 20 Share/Guide members per year with a 100% subsidy on selected courses and examination fees. IBM will also continue to provide refresher courses for current members, who need re-introduction into the mainframe roadmap and to rebuild their skills in selected areas.

Qualified staffs from IBM and experienced Share/Guide members will be on hand to facilitate this learning process experience. At the same time, student and lecturers from MMU will benefit from having access to the world class IBM mainframe projects, courses and training session on mainframe architecture and technology through the setting up of the z System (Mainframe) Academy at MMU by IBM.

There shall also be the incorporation of related mainframe technologies into the undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. Students will also have access to research and development projects on mainframe technology and first hand information of the latest cutting edge systems. Student from MMU and members of Share/Guide will be able to tap into the entire world-class online curriculum IBM Mainframe e-Learning website which holds all comprehensive educational, training and development materials.

Through the remote learning, the initiative allows for more participation, learning opportunities and collaboration online. IBM, Share/Guide and MMU will also look into creating a mainframe community where activities on skill development will be pushed through MMU’s IBM User Group and student ambassadors.Graduates from the mainframe programmes will also enjoy a priority when looking for opportunities with Share/Guide.

“With this strategic partnership, we are becoming more tactical in shaping the leadership and technical skills of our students, ensuring that they emerge to become world class employees and contributors to the development of the industry and the nation,” said Professor Datuk Dr. Ghauth Jasmon, President of Multimedia University.

He added that such initiatives are in recognition of the importance of utilizing technological advances to fuel future growth for the next generation workforce and in line with the university’s objective that pursues teaching and research in cutting edge and relevant fields of learning that harnesses state-of-the art information and communication technologies.

At the ceremony, Chu Hong Keong, Chairman of Share/Guide Association Malaysia said, “This is the first time in Malaysia where we see collaborative partnership between Academia, Vendor and User-organization. It is a very unique partnership which should be emulated by all other companies. Share/Guide is proud to play an active role in promoting human capital development locally.”