The two-year diploma programmes at Taylor’s College provides students with a platform to lay a strong foundation right from the start, nurturing their talents and opening doors to diverse career opportunities.
WITH the completion of SPM and IGCSE O-Level examinations, thousands of students find themselves at a crossroads that will determine the next few years of their lives.
Making such an important decision can be undoubtedly daunting with an abundance of pathways to choose from.
Amid the myriad of options available, one option that most students and their parents often find themselves contemplating is the pursuit of a diploma.
A compelling academic route that offers a practical and focused education, the two-year diploma programmes at Taylor’s College provides students with a platform to lay a strong foundation right from the start, nurturing their talents and opening doors to diverse career opportunities.
Diploma graduates also have the flexibility of choosing to further their education after gaining valuable work experience.
Having recently completed her diploma at Taylor’s, Cham Mei Shan – a graduate of the Diploma in Interior Design programme – shares that the educational experience in college is different compared to secondary school.
“In the line of design, there is a lot of brainstorming and critical thinking involved to come up with solutions to overcome problems,” she says.
“It was difficult for me at first, as I was used to following a fixed syllabus, but my lecturers encouraged creative thinking and openness to generate potential ideas.
“From day one, they have always been more than happy to share their professional knowledge and help us with our problems.”
Diploma in Interior Design lecturer Raja Imran (right) posing with Cham (left) as she bagged the Honourable Mention award at the Reka Awards 2022.
Cham signed up for the programme at Taylor’s after seeing the institution’s vibrant campus environment and facilities available at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus.
Seeing her potential and knack for interior design, Cham’s lecturers encouraged her to submit her final year project as an entry for the Reka Awards 2022.
Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers, the Reka Awards is Malaysia’s premier interior design awards to acknowledge interior designers who pursue excellence and consistent transition into reality in their designs.
Cham won the Honourable Mention award, which is awarded to students who showcase exceptional creativity, innovation and dedication in their design projects.
Her achievement is even more commendable when you consider the fact that she had to go through her internship during the competition, which taught her the importance of multitasking and time management – a crucial skill for designers.
“The hands-on experiences during my academic journey at Taylor’s equipped me with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that seamlessly translated into real-world applications during my internship,” she says.
“Other key skills that I learned that proved to be useful during my internship were technical drawing skills, board composition and presentation skills.”
Diploma in Communication students Wong Shin Yeng and Josie Lim enrolled at Taylor’s after hearing about the excellent reputation of the programme, and the opportunities offered at the institution.
Both students are currently in their third semester and have been actively participating in various activities, including the Sustain.Ed exhibition project.
Diploma in Communication students launched the Sustain.Ed exhibition project to eradicate poverty and inspire community-driven initiatives.
Diploma in Communication students conceptualised the “Small Changes: Big Impact” exhibition to promote sustainability education.
This project is aimed at eradicating poverty and inspiring community-driven initiatives that foster long-term change by arming individuals with the knowledge to make informed decisions about environment conservation, waste management and sustainable practices.
The students took three months to plan everything, from start to finish, to prepare for the exhibition.
Wong and Lim both commended their lecturer who taught them design principles and helped them to refine their ideas when designing posters for the exhibition using Adobe Illustrator software.
Wong (first from left) with her classmates during the Sustain.Ed exhibition.
Wong shares that the practical learning experience provides students with opportunities to engage with the industry, and be in an environment where they can learn and make mistakes before going out on their own.
“The practical learning experience equipped me with the basic skills, such as presentation and visual communication, which helped me to be more confident in presenting and apply more attention to detail when designing the required collateral materials,” she says.
“I learned more industry-related skills and gained knowledge in copywriting, public relations and advertising in my second and third semester, which gave me the added advantage of making the materials more appealing to the target audience.”
Lim says that she also found the visual communication and copywriting module to be very helpful, as it aided her in understanding what the deliverables needed for the exhibition, and she appreciated the availability of facilities and resources at Taylor’s to carry out their work.
“It was a challenge to bring our ideas to life, as we did not always have the necessary tools for it,” she says.
“For instance, we wanted to create a puzzle plant pot as part of the exhibition, but we did not have the materials or even a way to make it.
“Fortunately, our lecturer suggested reaching out to Taylor’s Makerspace, where we were able to get plywood and make use of its laser-cutting services, which were free.
“The team was very professional, helping us along the way and explaining the process to us, as it was our first time using the equipment.”
Opting to pursue a diploma programme offers a faster pathway to joining the workforce as it furnishes students with specialised competencies in the industry.
Other than the Diploma in Interior Design and Diploma in Communication, Taylor’s also offers other two-year diploma programmes such as the Diploma in Accounting, Diploma in Business and Diploma in Information Technology.
Taylor’s also offers a two-and-a-half year Diploma in Early Childhood Education programme with work-based learning.
For more information on the diploma programmes offered at Taylor’s College, click here
