The Deputy Education Minister of Malaysia officiated the opening of a Chinese multinational technology corporation’s ICT Knowledge Corridor in Cyberjaya recently. The technology company built the hub to enable younger Malaysians to understand the ICT industry footprint as well as to commemorate its 20th anniversary of being in the country.
The corridor aims to reach wider target audience like primary and secondary school students, college students, teachers, government agencies and the general public in Malaysia, to introduce them to the history of the development of the ICT industry and contributions of the Malaysian arm of the firm to the nation’s digital talent development.
The aim is to help nurture the next generation of digital talents by cultivating enough digital talent to reap the benefits of a digital economy. It is estimated the Asia Pacific region will face a shortage of 47 million tech talents by 2030. It is hoped that the ICT Knowledge Corridor, along with the firm’s other programmes, can help cultivate an ICT talent ecosystem in the country, the Vice President of the firm’s Malaysian arm said.
In his speech at the launch, the Deputy Education Minister of Malaysia shared how digital technology has completely changed the way people live and will continuously affect the global community and that he believes more efforts are needed to future-proof Malaysians with the right knowledge and relevant skill sets to not be left behind. He noted that the idea that digital technology will be the cornerstone of Malaysia’s economy can spur tremendous response towards challenges and cultivate innovation to stimulate growth in the coming years. Therefore, the corridor’s establishment is one of many steps taken to ensure younger generations familiarise themselves with ICT to nurture them into enablers of Malaysia’s digital economy.
The Minister believes that the corridor would be a manifestation of Malaysia’s technological innovations and development, which would assist the nation’s youth in becoming well-acquainted with digital tools and obtaining necessary digital skills, the Minister said, adding that collaborations between public and private sectors are greatly encouraged in implementing strategic digital plans and producing conducive solutions to accelerate innovation and create an effective digital ecosystem.
The Minister also said that programmes organised by the tech giant have left indelible prints in nurturing digital talents in the country and strengthening the nation’s digital economy foundation. The exhibits at the corridor include the history of communication development, terminal development, history of telecommunications development (network evolution), experiential zone with an interactive wall on intelligent society, smart street lights, smart waste management, smart metering, smart cities as well as smart education.
The corridor also offers a 3D photo experience using Augmented Reality (AR), an intelligent Fixed Network Development including wireless network development, and terminal history. It also displays network infrastructure devices that utilise the tech giant’s latest technological advances in 5G and telecommunications, magnetic waves – where visitors can learn how magnetic waves work; and virtual reality education, where visitors learn about future smart education and experience a virtual learning experience.
This initiative is part of the tech firm’s global vision of bringing digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.