KUCHING – The perception that pursuing a higher education and earning a degree solely as a ticket to gain employment has drastically changed, said Swinburne University’s Sarawak campus Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Professor John Wilson.
“Ideally, a tertiary education must be able to prepare students to become global citizens who are comfortable in any professional or social setting and are able to adapt to careers of the future which will be geared towards the digital economy. As technology is constantly evolving, so will the demands of future jobs which requires our graduates to be equipped with critical skills such as solving complex problems, creative thinking, and entrepreneurship.”
“Through Swinburne’s 2025 Strategic Plan, one of our three strategic initiatives are developing Future-Ready Learners who will be equipped with these skills and are able to tackle real-life problems in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” remarked Professor Wilson.
Elaborating on what it takes to become a global citizen, Professor Wilson opined that one has to be able to adapt to a local and global environment in order to address international issues, participate in decision-making processes, contribute to humanitarian efforts, and promote and celebrate diversity.
Echoing this sentiment, Registrar and Director of Student Engagement Haji Hussain Taiban said Swinburne University’s Sarawak campus student population consists of international students from over 50 countries and academic staff from various cultural backgrounds. This contributes to a rich learning experience that helps create a broader and more international outlook among students and staff alike.
International students are encouraged to participate in academic, sporting or recreational activities organised by the university such as the International Festival which celebrates global cultures and diversity, trips to Borneo Highlands Resort and Annah Rais Longhouse, or Chinese New Year open house events, to promote cultural appreciation and strengthen friendships among the different nationalities.
Students at Swinburne’s Sarawak campus also excel in sports where they emerged champion in the Sarawak Regatta under the Higher Education Institution category for the past three years, and overall champion of the MASISWA (private institution of higher learning annual games) for the past six years.
Where graduate employment is concerned, Haji Hussain spoke about how the university actively connects students with industry to assist them in gaining employment. The university’s partnership with JobStreet.com for example, helps students to understand the job market better based on data collected and published by Jobstreet.com.
“The Student Engagement unit also organises annual Career and Internship Fair to provide a platform for students to gain insights into career opportunities available to them. We also conduct Graduate Tracer studies to gather data on our graduate employability rates within six months of graduation. I’m pleased to note that we constantly score in the high nineties which is a testament to the quality of our graduates,” said Haji Hussain.
From 24-hour computer and science laboratories to engineering and research workshops, from library to sports and recreational facilities, students at Swinburne University’s Sarawak campus can enjoy a range of facilities and services that will enhance their university experience.
Director Administration Ms. Caroline Hon commented that students also have access to state-of-the-art research centres, a lecture theatre, a multi-purpose hall, 24-hour student lounge and study spaces, housing and residential services, cafeteria, online digital resources as well as campus-wide WiFi connectivity.
“We want students to gain positive experiences while studying with us. One of the tools used is student survey feedback as well as focus groups in assessing student satisfaction levels. Their feedback and suggestions help us to plan ahead in ensuring we can provide and create such environment to support positive student experiences.”
“For example, we have recently renovated our teaching spaces to include flexible and collaborative learning, added study areas, installed more shaded walkways, increase our internet bandwidth, in addition to many upcoming campus-wide projects,” remarked Hon.
Swinburne is a top ranking Australian university with its home campus in Melbourne and a branch campus in Kuching. For the fourth consecutive year, Swinburne is ranked in the world’s Top 400 universities by the Times Higher Education World University Ranking and is ranked as the no.1 international university in Borneo according to the inaugural Times Higher Education Asia Pacific Ranking 2017. Globally, Swinburne is recognised for producing graduates that are in high demand by employers as confirmed by the first ever QS Graduate Employability Rankings with Swinburne attaining a Top 200 rank.
For more information about Swinburne Sarawak, visit the university’s website (www.swinburne.edu.my), Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).