Star attraction: Visitors at the Star Education Fair 2023 that was held at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Penang. – CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: It was a “dash to the finish line” as higher learning institutions made last-minute pitches to prospective students on the final day of the Star Education Fair 2023.
Segi College Penang academic head Lee Chin Ching said the institution had received strong enquiries about its Business Management and IT courses that specialise in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
“They seem to be the disciplines sought after by many school-leavers these days and Segi is moving towards these fields.
“Another much sought-after course is Culinary Arts,” said Lee when met at the three-day fair, which ended yesterday at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Bayan Baru.
Segi has an industry classroom concept where students are exposed to the workings of multinational companies (MNCs) and small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
“We are confident of recruiting about 500 new students for our programmes this year,” he added.
For The One Academy, Penang, it is building on the courses that it has almost perfected such as advertising and graphic design, digital media design, interior design, digital animation and illustration.
The academy has won several international awards including honours under the Best Brand in Education Awards – Most Creative Brand, Creative Communication Art and Design and the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation Award, said its business development head Khoo Boo Keat.
He said The One Academy had 40 enquiries so far, mostly from school-leavers who recently obtained their SPM results.
Parents and students were also seen crowding the Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) booth to find out about its foundation, diploma and degree programmes in accounting, business and engineering, which are the highly sought-after courses at the institution.
“Our syllabus was co-created together with industry partners such as MNCs and SMEs, which is industry-relevant, professionally-focused and entrepreneurship-driven.
“With the adoption of such practical concepts, we find high-probable work placements for our students as they are ready for the job market,” said TAR UMT Penang branch head Assoc Prof Dr Toh Guat Guan.
She said that to keep up with the present times, the university was driving innovation and nano- teaching, including using the latest tools such as ChatGPT.
At Vitrox College, the environment is that of a manufacturing hub as the college is run by Vitrox Corporation Bhd, which has been operating in Penang for more than 20 years.
Its head of marketing Chong Swit Yie said the Batu Kawan facility housed the college and provided an industry-centric, inspiring and inclusive education environment with a strong emphasis on practical learning.
“The Batu Kawan industrial area needs about 10,000 engineers but we can’t meet the numbers.
“As such, we have taken the approach to setting up this college where 60% is hands-on industrial training.
“We have 30 students who are studying at the college and we plan to increase it to 100,” Chong added.
Meanwhile, student S. Srithear won a Bodum brand coffee maker when his name was picked from the registration list at the fair.
The Star Education Fair, which was held over the weekend, featured 100 booths and attracted about 6,000 visitors.
