By Nurul Aina Aqilah
GOMBAK, 11 October 2017: Universities are now posed with the challenge to produce industry-ready talents and engage in Research & Development (R&D) activities to face Industry 4.0, the Principal Consultant of Learning Services, Huawei Technologies Co., Muhammad Imran Kunalan, told a colloquium yesterday (10 October).
Addressing his session on the topic ‘Industry 4.0: Are the Universities Ready?’ at the ‘National Colloquium on Redesigning Higher Education: Empowering a Quadruple Helix Ecosystem’ at the Senate Hall, IIUM Rectory Building, Muhammad Imran shared his insights on the globally anticipated fourth industrial revolution. Universities, he said, need to be more prepared as technology is constantly developing and we always need to improvise the new technology that comes along.
He shared the different phases of industrial revolution that the world has gone through, from the first industrial revolution, which is the shift from human labour to mechanical works, to the second industrial revolution that witnessed the improvision of electronics into mechatronics. The third industrial revolution is when I.T came into the picture. Basically, the fourth industrial revolution is an expansion of the current technology.
In his presentation, Muhammad Imran also stated that Vietnam is the world no.1 in software development currently.
Among other sessions held at the colloquium were presentations made by the National Technology Officer of Microsoft (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Dr. Dzaharudin Mansor on the topic ‘Aligning university curriculum and industry expectations’, and another by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, on the subject ‘ Translation outcomes: Return of Investments’.***