KUCHING – Twenty-two graduates were awarded for outstanding accomplishments by industry at the Swinburne University of Technology “Alumni and Partners Appreciation Dinner” attended by about 300 alumni and industry partners of the university at The Waterfront Hotel, recently.
The 22 graduates with exceptional academic and non-academic achievements were awarded by the university’s industry partners, namely Board of Engineers Malaysia, CPA Australia, Crowe Malaysia, EY, KPMG PLT, LSEG Malaysia Sdn Bhd, NAIM Holdings Berhad, Pansar Company Sdn Bhd, Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (SAINS), Sarawak Energy Berhad and Yayasan Sarawak.
They were among 385 presented scrolls at Swinburne Sarawak’s graduation ceremony that afternoon at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
Leading the list of recipients were three graduates who were conferred Swinburne Emerging Leaders Award which recognises the valuable skills they learnt during their time at university in preparation for the leap into their career.
The skills acquired are formally recognised in their final academic transcript, and acknowledges their confidence in communicating their skills to employers in interviews and thereby improves their employability.
In his welcoming speech, Swinburne Sarawak Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Professor John Wilson thanked the industry partners for their contributions in developing students in their respective field of specialisation through internships, engagement of students in actual company projects as well as offering scholarship awards and bursaries.
“Swinburne looks forward to the continuation of our partnerships and welcome further collaborative ventures that will positively impact not just our students and graduates, but also the communities around us.”
“In the long term, your involvement not only translates to improving the pool of human capital for your respective industry, but in a broader sense, you also play an important role in uplifting the socio-economic standing of society in general,” remarked Professor Wilson.
Over the last few years, the university has recorded graduate employability rates of more than 90% six months after graduating while in several business and engineering programmes employment has been 100%, he added.
“I am confident that when you employ a Swinburne graduate, you are getting a highly enthusiastic and well-trained member of staff. This is evidenced by the fact that our graduates are absorbed immediately by industry or six months after graduating,” said Professor Wilson.
He said the Sarawak campus has produced more than 6,200 graduates since its first graduation in 2004, adding that Swinburne Sarawak alumni is the largest group of graduates outside Australia.
Professor Wilson urged them to keep in touch with the university and explore opportunities for postgraduate study or give back to the community by, for example, supporting a student club on campus as an advisor, sponsoring a student project or team in a competition, or sharing work experience with final-year students in preparing them for their careers.
Swinburne Sarawak hopes to increase its student population from the current 3,500 to 5,000 in the near future as part of its commitment to making higher education available to more young people, he said, adding that the university consistently works with Yayasan Sarawak and other sponsoring bodies as well as the industry to provide financial aid or other education-related support.
Also present at the event were Swinburne Chancellor Graham Goldsmith, Swinburne Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Linda Kristjanson, Yayasan Sarawak Director Haji Azmi bin Haji Bujang, and senior officers of the university’s industry partners.
For more information about Swinburne, visit www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).