The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) partners with Microsoft Malaysia in its Institusi Latihan Kemahiran Belia dan Sukan (ILKBS) technical institutes, aimed to prepare Malaysian talents for Industry 4.0. The Digital ILKBS initiative will give educators and students tools to enable better learning processes and outcomes, developing a future-ready human capital.

Through this collaboration, Microsoft technology and learning tools will be introduced in 8 institutes under KBS, to students enrolled in the mechanical manufacturing course. The implementation will be rolled out in a phases beginning now until 2020. These institutes will have access to all tracks under the Microsoft Imagine Academy that include Data Science Pathway, Computer Science Pathway, Cloud Fundamentals, Mobility & Devices Fundamentals and Security Fundamentals subjects; which will be introduced during the first phase, from February onwards.

Microsoft Imagine Academy (MIA) is an e-learning system and curriculum that helps teach students how to efficiently use a variety of Microsoft products as well as other technology tools most of which are commonly used in businesses throughout the world. Over 52 educational institutions across Malaysia have incorporated the Imagine Academy curriculum into their educational structure, however institutes within ILKBS are the first vocational training institutes to adopt this.

Beginning July, the second phase will see technical training delivered through Live Sessions, Online materials and using 3D tools. The third phase in 2019 will see the application of Industry 4.0 through the Smart Factory module which will cover CNC Machining, Smart Machine Control and Online Monitoring & Supervision.

The 8 institutes that will implement this curriculum are IKTBN Sepang, IKTBN Dusun Tua, IKTBN Bukit Mertajam, IKTBN Pagoh, IKTBN Temerloh, IKTBN Chembong, IKBN Jitra & IKBN Miri. This is an important step for promoting TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) education in Malaysia and will see over 10,000 students benefiting from the initiative over the next 3 years.

This is in line with the Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) Youth Engagement Initiative, where youths expressed a desire to see a more interactive and practical approach to education; as well as have Malaysian institutions ranked in the top 10 globally. KBS is responding to these aspirations by initiating this effort to further improve and strengthen lesson delivery methods and learning facilities in ILKBS. Over the last year, the TN50 Youth Initiative led by KBS has listened to over 60,000 unique aspirations through various engagements with over 1.7 million Malaysian youths nationwide.

K Raman, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia said, “Our mission at Microsoft is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. We have been faithful to this mission and will continue to promote 21st century learning across all institutions in Malaysia. This is indeed a landmark event for the education sector in Malaysia, as this will be the very first time in the nation’s history that vocational training institutions are geared to utilise Microsoft Imagine Academy. This newly incorporated curriculum will empower students to achieve even greater heights than ever before, nurturing them with the skillsets to compete globally.”