Kadang-kadang sesuatu program kelihatan seperti satu aktiviti yang berdiri sendiri.
Satu latihan.
Satu pensijilan.
Satu program kemahiran.
Satu lagi program digital.
Tetapi apabila semuanya dilihat sebagai satu perjalanan pembangunan pelajar, gambarnya sebenarnya jauh lebih besar.
Sepanjang tahun ini, saya semakin sedar bahawa apa yang sedang dibangunkan untuk pelajar BPC bukan sekadar himpunan program tambahan kepada kurikulum.
Ia sedang membentuk satu laluan pembangunan kompetensi dan kebolehpasaran graduan.
Salah satu pengalaman yang paling bermakna ialah ketika pelajar mengikuti latihan di CIDB Johor.
Mereka tidak berada dalam kelompok pelajar universiti sahaja.
Mereka belajar seiring dengan tenaga pengajar, peserta ABM serta pekerja industri sebenar yang sedang menjalani penilaian kompetensi kemahiran bagi memenuhi keperluan untuk bekerja di tapak pembinaan.
Bagi saya, pendedahan seperti ini sangat penting.
Pelajar dapat melihat sendiri bahawa kompetensi bukan sekadar sesuatu yang dipelajari untuk mendapatkan sijil. Dalam industri, seseorang perlu membuktikan bahawa mereka benar-benar mempunyai kemahiran, mematuhi standard kerja, memahami aspek keselamatan dan mampu melaksanakan tugasan dengan tahap kualiti yang ditetapkan.
Mereka juga berpeluang memerhati bagaimana pekerja industri berkomunikasi, menggunakan peralatan, menyelesaikan masalah, menerima arahan serta melalui proses penilaian sebenar.
Banyak perkara seperti ini sukar dipelajari sepenuhnya di dalam bilik kuliah.
Pengalaman ini sebenarnya merupakan satu bentuk pendedahan awal kepada budaya industri dimana ia memberi peluang kepada pelajar mengenali standard, disiplin kerja, jangkaan majikan dan realiti sebenar persekitaran pembinaan sebelum mereka memasuki alam pekerjaan.
Dalam masa yang sama, pelajar dapat membandingkan tahap kemahiran mereka dengan pekerja industri serta memahami bahawa dunia pembinaan memerlukan gabungan:
pengetahuan + kemahiran praktikal + keselamatan + disiplin + kompetensi + sikap profesional
Apabila pengalaman ini digabungkan dengan pembelajaran akademik, latihan kemahiran, BIM, pembinaan digital dan pensijilan profesional, setiap program mula mempunyai peranan dalam satu perjalanan pembangunan graduan yang lebih tersusun.
Daripada:
pengetahuan → kemahiran → kompetensi → pendedahan industri → kebolehpasaran
Bagi saya, cabaran pendidikan tinggi hari ini bukan sekadar memastikan pelajar berjaya menamatkan pengajian.
Persoalan yang lebih penting ialah:
“Apakah nilai tambahan yang mereka bawa apabila melangkah keluar dari universiti?”
Adakah mereka hanya mempunyai transkrip akademik?
Atau mereka juga memahami bagaimana industri sebenar berfungsi, mempunyai keyakinan, kompetensi, pendedahan serta bukti keupayaan yang boleh dibawa bersama apabila memasuki dunia pekerjaan?
Itulah arah yang saya mahu terus bangunkan.
Bukan sekadar menambah program.
Tetapi membina satu ekosistem kebolehpasaran pelajar yang menyediakan mereka bukan sahaja untuk memperoleh ijazah, tetapi juga untuk memahami, menyesuaikan diri dan berfungsi dengan lebih baik dalam industri.
Nilai sebenar bukan hanya pada kemahiran yang dipelajari, tetapi pada peluang untuk belajar bersama industri.
#KebolehpasaranGraduan #PengurusanPembinaan #BPC #UTHM #CIDB #TVET #BIM #PembinaanDigital #IndustriAkademia #KompetensiProfesional
From Activities to a Student Employability Ecosystem
Sometimes, a programme may appear to be just another stand-alone activity.
One training programme.
One certification.
One skills programme.
Another digital programme.
But when all these initiatives are viewed as part of a student’s developmental journey, the bigger picture becomes much clearer.
Throughout this year, I have increasingly realised that what we are building for BPC students is not merely a collection of additional activities beyond the curriculum.
It is gradually forming a structured pathway for competency development and graduate employability.
One of the most meaningful experiences took place when our students attended training at CIDB Johor.
They were not learning only among fellow university students.
They were learning alongside instructors, ABM participants, and actual industry workers who were undergoing skills competency assessments required for them to work on construction sites.
For me, this kind of exposure is extremely valuable.
Students are able to see first-hand that competency is not simply about obtaining a certificate. In the industry, individuals must demonstrate that they truly possess the required skills, comply with work standards, understand safety requirements, and are capable of performing tasks to the expected level of quality.
They also have the opportunity to observe how industry workers communicate, use tools and equipment, solve problems, respond to instructions, and undergo actual competency assessments.
Many of these lessons cannot be fully replicated in a classroom.
This experience provides students with early exposure to industry culture that is allowing them to understand professional standards, work discipline, employer expectations, and the realities of the construction environment before they formally enter the workforce.
At the same time, students are able to benchmark their own skills against those of industry workers and recognise that the construction sector requires a combination of:
knowledge + practical skills + safety awareness + discipline + competency + professional attitude
When this type of exposure is combined with academic learning, practical skills training, BIM, digital construction, and professional certification, each initiative begins to serve a clear purpose within a broader graduate development journey.
From:
knowledge → skills → competency → industry exposure → employability
For me, the challenge in higher education today is no longer simply to ensure that students successfully complete their degree.
A more important question is:
“What additional value will they carry with them when they leave the university?”
Will they leave only with an academic transcript?
Or will they also understand how the industry operates, possess confidence and competency, gain meaningful industry exposure, and have evidence of their abilities when entering the workforce?
That is the direction I hope to continue developing.
Not simply by adding more programmes.
But by building a student employability ecosystem that prepares students not only to earn a degree, but also to understand, adapt to, and function more effectively within the industry.
The true value lies not only in the skills they learn, but in the opportunity to learn alongside the industry.
#GraduateEmployability #ConstructionManagement #BPC #UTHM #CIDB #TVET #BIM #DigitalConstruction #IndustryAcademia #ProfessionalCompetency
