Izah Azahari
Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) must continue to further strengthen studies in technical fields and vocational training to produce highly skilled, quality human capital.
Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman made this call during the 29th IBTE Convocation ceremony at the International Convention Centre yesterday.
“Education is a trigger for creativity, a generator of innovation that equips the younger generation with skills needed to compete in the job market and become the enabler of overall economic development,” he said.
In updating its teaching programme, IBTE must be proactive and innovative in restructuring educational programmes to meet the needs of the job market, based on the more challenging Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0).
As the whole world sits on the brink of IR 4.0, which is a digital industry involving automated robots and big data analysis in the execution of daily tasks, the minister said, “It is necessary for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) education to be on alert by making changes in line with digital transformation to maintain the competitiveness and progress of the modern world landscape.”
The minister urged IBTE to take steps towards jointly providing added value to each study programme, including introducing modular programmes designed to meet market needs.
“Networking with the industry needs to be intensified to open up wider training opportunities, especially in areas critical to producing a highly skilled workforce in the country,” Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah said, adding that “to meet the growing demand for skilled manpower in line with the local job market, IBTE must continue strategic planning by increasing the supply of learning places through collaboration with the industry.
“I believe that focussing on improving the quality of teaching and learning through the implementation of collaborative programmes with local and foreign stakeholders will pave the way for IBTE graduates to achieve international standards and have the potential to succeed in the market as required by the industry,” the minister said.
Strengthening the TVET system is a step deemed highly appropriate as this field will help the country in shaping human capital towards the formation of new technologies, with noble values so that graduates can address the IR 4.0 challenges.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah expressed hopes the quality of teaching and learning at IBTE can be periodically improved to meet the needs of stakeholders (public and private sectors), and that it will continue to be strong, dynamic and advanced in creating opportunities to further studies at a higher level.
“The success of an institution also depends on the ability to produce graduates who are innovative and creative enough to create jobs, and not just produce graduates who are looking for jobs,” he said.
