Championing Research, Industry Linkages, Alumni and Community Network for UiTM Sabah Branch

Part 2

Alumni

Every year, UiTM produces a lot of graduates and some certainly leave a memorable mark that inspires the current students to further their studies. The UiTM Alumni carried out UiTM KK’s Alumni Spotlight programme to exemplify and promote the success and achievements of alumni in social media. Some of the honourable alumni are;

1. Professor Ts. Dr. Imbarine Hj Bujang ( A well-known professor at the Faculty of Business and Management, UiTM Sabah)

2. Miss Allora Alisa Demona Stephen ( An Executive Change Management at Petronas Floating LNG (L) LTD, Kota Kinabalu)

3. Miss Cheryl Ellron ( The current CEO and founder of Makan Bites Ltd. in United Kingdom)

One of the programs conducted was the STEM Outreach Programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan Tongod, Telupid from the 3rd to 4th of October 2022. The program was under the Imbak Canyon Expedition Program, which was initiated by PJIM&A with the help of UiTM Sabah’s researchers and lecturers. The Tongod district was known as one of the poorest districts in Sabah, and due to this, most schools faced some limitations in terms of their science activities’ resources. In addition, taking into account the current pandemic, resources were at an all-time low for both the teachers and the students.

The program was conducted in hopes to expose students to Science and Technology knowledge, influencing students

Another activity conducted by UiTM Alumni is the Alumni Book Pilot Project which has involved several parties including the Association Alumni of UiTM Sabah, Sabah Credit Corporation and UiTM Sabah Branch.

Thanks to a generous donation from Sabah Credit Corporation, 100 Alumni branded laptops have been successfully produced in direct consultation with companies from China. Until now, the UiTM Sabah Branch Alumni Book has evolved to the 4th edition with a system of more efficient processing to meet the needs of online learning.

The purpose of this project was to help provide students with better equipment for their studies, however, only the affected students during the pandemic were given this laptop.

Networking

PJIMA has significantly reached out to those in need, especially those who are heavily affected by the pandemic. Anne Frank once said, “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”.

Group photo taken during STEM Outreach Programme Day.

For the primary school session, ten students from each of the five primary schools were involved, which were SK Pekan Tongod (Co-Host), SK Sogo-Sogo, SK Kiabau, SK Kiandongo, and SK Imbak. 10 students from each of the respective primary schools were invited to SK Tongod to attend the programme itself along with a representative or guardian. For the secondary school session, all 50 students were from SMK Tongod and all of them were in Form 4 classes. The students were very supportive and collaborative as the typical programme is rarely done in their school. Moreover, the principal of each school was thankful and hoped that UiTM would organise it again in

Tongod school students during a group discussion

The pandemic has also taken a detrimental toll on workers. Some struggled from paycheck to paycheck, and others

For the primary school session, ten students from each of the five primary schools were involved, which were SK Pekan Tongod (Co-Host), SK Sogo-Sogo, SK Kiabau, SK Kiandongo, and SK Imbak. 10 students from each of the respective primary schools were invited to SK Tongod to attend the programme itself along with a representative or guardian. For the secondary school session, all 50 students were from SMK Tongod and all of them were in Form 4 classes. The students were very supportive and pandemic has also taken a detrimental toll on workers. Some struggled from paycheck to paycheck, and others ended up jobless. With that, there were various programmes and activities supported by PJIMA in order to aid them to get job opportunities especially those in the B40 community; principal of each school was thankful and hoped that UiTM would organise it again in future. pandemic has also taken a detrimental toll on workers. Some struggled from paycheck to paycheck, and others ended up jobless. With that, there were various programmes and activities supported by PJIMA in order to aid them to get job opportunities especially those in the B40 community;

2021 - Freshwater Lobster Production - Green Aquaponics Perennial System (FLP - GAPS) , under Team Community Development Studies (ToCoDeS)

2022 - Ferti Chilliprenuer Komuniti Lestari ended up jobless. With that, there were various programmes and activities supported by PJIMA in order to aid them to get job opportunities especially those in the B40 community; that PJIMA succeeded in with big industries to foster entrepreneurship among graduates:

2021 - Freshwater Lobster Production - Green Aquaponics Perennial System (FLP - GAPS) , under Team Community Development Studies (ToCoDeS)

1. 2021 - Freshwater Lobster Production - Green Aquaponics

30 April 2022 - Projek Peningkatan Upaya Untuk Pelancongan Lestari

1. April 2023, Maybank Megapreneurship: Go Digital Workshop

Komuniti Kawasan Inanam

2022 - Ferti Chilliprenuer Komuniti Lestari

Perennial System (FLP - GAPS) , under Team Community

2. From November to December 2022, Unipreneur Fiesta

30 April 2022 - Projek Peningkatan Upaya Untuk Pelancongan Lestari

Komuniti Kawasan Inanam

2.

3. December 2022, Grants Recipients for Novice 2.0 Ceremony

4. November 2022, the Digi Day Road tour at Campus

5. October 2022, The Tiktok Mental Health Awareness Forum

6. June 2022, The Industry Visit to Kuala Lumpur

All the efforts made by PJIMA were to foster the development of talented entrepreneurs by providing a resource-rich environment, while the collaborators can discover untapped markets. Consequently, more local start-ups will be fuelled by the strong cooperation between the university and industry, which in turn drives economic development and success, particularly for the state.

Conclusion

Group photo of Freshwater Lobster Production - Green Aquaponics Perennial System - GAPS), under Team Community Development Studies (ToCoDeS) with the sign

UiTM is now emerging from the shadows and making progress in terms of industrial linkages and collaborations. Thanks to recent aggressive and strong collaborations, coupled with the teamwork of the PJIMA management, UiTM is making great strides in increasing its visibility among industry players. Their impressive list of accomplishments includes:

1. Winner of the 2022 Best Graduate Employability Programme Award

2. Winner of the 2023 Highest Entrepreneur Alumni Production Award

3. Winner of the 2023 High Impact Project Presentation on Ferti-Chillipreneur Komuniti LESTARI Program

4. Second place in the 2023 Most Impactful Collaboration Community Project for Industry and Alumni Award

Entrepreneurship

It is essential for universities and businesses to work together to foster an entrepreneurial environment. Insights, validation, and routes to commercialisation may be provided by industry, while universities can provide the information, resources, and supportive environments needed by aspiring entrepreneurs. University-industry partnerships foster new ideas and lead to economic development, job creation, and increased entrepreneurial activity.

Thus, PJIMA’s goals were to offer essential training, digital industry exposure, hands-on entrepreneurial experiences, and encourage university graduates’ business start-ups. Maxis Business Innovation Centre, Pentas IO, Maybank, Kota Kinabalu City Hall Council (DBKK), PERKESO, LHDN, DIDR, FAMA, ASNB, TAKAFUL Malaysia, Sabah Creative Economic & Innovation Centre (SCENIC), TikTok, Huawei Technologies, MRANTI, SEED Lab., AirAsia Academy, and budding local enterprises were among the notable collaborators. Here are some collaborative initiatives

5. Third Place of the 2023 Best Industry Collaboration Award

In addition, UiTM Sabah Branch was honoured with the SKPG 1.0 Response Achievement Award (Graduates Tracer Study) for reaching a response rate of more than 90%!

Dr. Sharifah believes that with a positive mindset and teamwork, UiTM students, graduates and staff will achieve even greater heights than before. They will have access to a plethora of opportunities, both nationally and internationally, as their exposure grows.

Michael Jordan once said, “Talent may win games, but it takes teamwork and intelligence to win championships.” So true! #teamwork #intelligence #championshipmindset

by Aries Henry Joseph and Shirleen Octavia Austin