KOLEJ DISTED-STAMFORD NEWS
10 June 2009

Tailoring business education for employment market

To further match the needs of the employment market with its business courses, DISTED College has established an Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) comprising representatives from prominent enterprises. 

The School of Business IAP members include 3 senior industry practitioners with wide professional experience and expertise:

• Suresh Chandran, Intel Technology Sdn. Bhd. Malaysia site finance controller

• Ooi Kok Seng, KPMG Chartered Accountants partner (audit)

• Dr Cynthia Ee, Flextronics Global internal communications director

The agreement signing with the representatives on 10 June 2009 formalized the setting up of the panel. 

Signing of the School of Business IAP agreement... (from left) DISTED lecturer and panel secretary Rosalie Tan Ying Yann, KPMG Chartered Accountants partner Ooi Kok Seng, School of Business head and panel chairman Liew Yueah Cin, Intel Technology Sdn. Bhd. Malaysia site finance controller Suresh Chandran and Flextronics Global internal communications director Dr Cynthia Ee.

The IAP initiative is an add-on to the DISTED INSPiRE programme, introduced in 2007, to maximize exposure of its students to industry and business leaders. 

It is a boost to providing industry-relevant education and moulding graduates who are job-ready when entering the employment market, which is in line with the college’s ‘employability by design’ thrust. 

“The IAP is a significant step for the college to strengthen its collaboration with industry players.

“It’s a platform to assist us in tailoring business education that meets the needs and expectations of the industry, thus making our graduates highly employable,” said Liew Yueah Cin, DISTED School of Business head and IAP chairman. 

“In this regard, the panel members will look into the intellectual and skills gap between graduates and the industry, and the action to reduce the disparity,” he said.

“The close link with the industry paves the way for our lecturers to keep abreast with the latest industry developments and practices,” he said.

“With greater academia-industry interaction, DISTED is poised to provide premium quality education that is in tune with employment market trends,” Liew added. 

The School of Business Industry Advisory Panel in a discussion...(from left) DISTED lecturer and panel secretary Rosalie Tan Ying Yann, School of Business head and panel chairman Liew Yueah Cin, Intel Technology Sdn. Bhd. Malaysia site finance controller Suresh Chandran, DISTED vice-president Dr Koo Wee Kor, DISTED president Dato' Dr Chong Eng Keat, KPMG Chartered Accountants partner Ooi Kok Seng and Flextronics Global internal communications director Dr Cynthia Ee.

Suresh called for students to be equipped with appropriate skills: “Employability skills such as people skills, resume writing and job interview skills are essential for those embarking into the working world.”

“Students will gain better insights if the perceptions of employers concerning job market skills are made known to them,” said Dr Cynthia.  

Ooi added: “In addition, they should be groomed on the basics of integrity, responsibility, discipline and dedication which are much needed in the corporate sector.”

The DISTED School of Business Industry Advisory Panel members comprise (from left) DISTED lecturer and panel secretary Rosalie Tan Ying Yann, School of Business head and panel chairman Liew Yueah Cin, Intel Technology Sdn. Bhd. Malaysia site finance controller Suresh Chandran, Flextronics Global internal communications director Dr Cynthia Ee and KPMG Chartered Accountants partner Ooi Kok Seng.