The management of AITC College as well as the academic team congratulate the high achievers of the recent 2016 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) school leavers and in the same time reminded the students to express their highest gratitude to their loved ones; parents, teachers, relatives and friends as all of them played major roles in their success.

Sarawak fared slightly better in the 2016 SPM compared to the previous year. The State Education Department recorded a State Cumulative Grade (GPN) of 5.34 last year compared to 5.47 in 2015 – which means that the achievement performance of the SPM candidates in Sarawak in 2016 in terms of GPN has improved.

“We would also like to encourage those who fell short in their SPM to not let their result hold them back. The examination is meant for them to set a high benchmark for themselves and as a stepping stone towards another phase of life,” said Sim Iang Bong, the Head of Vocational Training, AITC College Kuching. She also added that the students should not treat this phase as the end state of their academic journey as amyriad of opportunities awaits them in the outside world.

“For those who are now looking for their next journey in life, I advised them to consult with their parents, school counsellor, and even their trusted friends to determine thepath that is suited for them,” added Sim. Furthermore, she also would like to invite eligible candidate who is still undecided on where to go – or even what to pursue – to pay a visit to AITC College Kuching and meet the counsellor to discuss on their strength and interest. “It will be a pleasure for us to help the candidate to chart their academic journey”.

Established for 15 years, AITC College has gone through a major transformation throughout the years. Situated on a 53-acres land in Muara Tabuan, the college can easily welcome more than 3000 students to its new campus inaugurated in July 2014. The college is focusing more on the vocational training as they acknowledge the looming demands for skilled workers in the future.

The challenges of the 21^st-century job market demand the graduate to not just equip with conventional tertiary education but also highly trained to become a skilled worker. It is also a challenge to the education provider to evolve their focus to vocational training and AITC is one of the institutions who has joined in the effort to develop the nation’s future workforce.

“Sarawak’s bid to become the high-income economy by 2030 and vocational training has become the significant focus for the state especially to fulfill the needs of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). This development in the state will require more than 60’000 skilled and semi-skilled workers by 2030,” said Sim.

“To date, we have produced around 3000 skilled workers who at least acquires Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia level 2, 3, and 4. For starter, we had identified 10 critical areas comprises of 18 programmes that can be useful for SCORE.” she added.

In the 2017 budget speech by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, clearly emphasized on the focus to enhance the technical and vocational training as it will, directly and indirectly, become the pivotal efforts to produce more skilled human capital. Consequently, it is understood that the government has declared 2017 as technical and vocational education year in an effort to achieve a high-income nation by 2020.

A stigma of less favorable than another academic path, the perception towards vocational training is quickly changing in the past few years. It is seen throughout the world that it has become the new hope and the new enabler of good high paying jobs with upward mobility.Undertaking technical and vocational courses also opens up another career pathway – such as entrepreneurship. Students will get to learn the entire manufacturing process until the final product. The knowledge acquired about materials and the ability to estimate manufacturing costs will be an added advantage if you’re looking to start your own business.

Apart from its operational expansion, AITC never compromises on its academic quality. As a testament to its quality, AITC was officially appointed as the satellite campus for Center of Instructor and Advanced Skill Training (CIAST) in Sarawak. This will ensure a rigorous quality assurance for the trainer to hone their teaching skills and abilities. With its competence in management and academic planning, AITC college has been rated 5-star for 12 of its programmes by Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran in 2015.

“We are proud that the 5 Stars rating reaffirms the results of our hard work, and we are embracing this recognition as motivation to further improve ourselves. The achievement is yet another testament to our efforts in charting the excellence in technical education” said Sim.

Moving forward, AITC College is now working with the Ministry of Higher Education to offer high-impact programmes for the interested candidates. To date, they are working on the Diploma in Oil and Gas Welding Technology and also Diploma in Subsea Welding Technology which brings about the collaboration with TWI Certification Limited – a world’s foremost independent research and technology organizations with expertise in materials joining and engineering processes as applied in industry – to offer welding technology programmes since 2015.

“This will be the beginning of a new frontier by AITC College Kuching,” said Sim.

With the experience accompanied with its management quality in both academic and operational, AITC College aspires to be the industry leaders championing the industry-ladeneducation in Sarawak. For more information about AITC programmes, please visit www.i-systems.edu.my or contact the Course Counselor at 082-363787 / 082-369887or SMS to 016 889 3089. Students are encouraged to visit the campus and meet its course counselors at No.1, Taman Muara Tabuan, Jalan Muara Tabuan, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak (Tel: 082-363787/369887).

(Press Release)