KUALA LUMPUR: To be future-ready, it is critical for students to equip themselves with programming skills, say experts.
Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science Assoc Prof Dr Viknesh Andiappan said the coming years will see students and future graduates who require programming skills.
“You need it to solve a lot of problems in the industry. Whether you are an engineer, manager or a person with a computer science background, programming is very critical,” he said when met at the Star Education Fair 2023 held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil Exhibition Centre here yesterday.
Agreeing, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) Assoc Prof Dr Tan Chin Ike, who was also at the fair, said programming is one of the best ways for students to get involved in a rapidly changing world.
“It teaches you to problem-solve and to think creatively but at the same time it is very logic-driven as well,” he said.
Tan added that tech-driven courses are getting very popular in recent years.
“One of the things that will move forward over the next five to 10 years are people who are trained and knowledgeable in areas such as computer science, software engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), data science and cybersecurity.
“These are hot courses now as there is so much demand in the market,” he said.
With the rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), Viknesh said there are growing job opportunities related to engineering and information technology (IT).
“We’re moving into IR4.0 so certainly a lot of new innovations and technologies are going to come into play.
“It is not only the conventional computer science programmes that incorporate elements such as AI and data science, but engineering programmes introduce these skillsets as well,” he said.
“This is certainly the direction. In fact, we’re now looking at renewable energy and decarbonisation of the energy sector, so we see a lot of opportunities growing in that area.
“This is where in terms of engineering and IT and computer science, we see a lot of opportunities growing,” he said.
He added that while there is an uptake on these courses, there is a need to further raise awareness among students.
“That’s why we are here at this fair to spread awareness even further, especially now that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is at the most critical time.
“The demand is there. It’s just whether people know about it or not,” he said, adding that Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus offers various engineering, IT, design and art programmes that connect to current demands.
Both Viknesh and Tan were presenters during the talk sessions at the fair yesterday.
Their talks were titled “The role of next-gen engineers in the era of sustainability” and “Technology and the future of work” respectively.
