KUALA LUMPUR – The Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) is set on encouraging interests in technological advancements to generate proficient workforce candidates for an industry in need of skilled labour.
APU’s Innovation and Enterprise chief officer Vinesh Thiruchelvam said while there is a high demand for specialised vocations in the technology industry, there is presently a shortage of qualified labourers.
“It is hard nowadays to come across a virtual reality (VR) engineer but there is a very high demand for them,” he told The Vibes, adding that the creative technology supports several industries such as gaming, branding, marketing, construction and web designing.
He said, however, the Covid-19 pandemic – which caused a spike in online remote learning and technological dependency – has contributed to burgeoning interest among youth in the technology field, despite the challenging nature of subjects.
“Ever since the pandemic restricted learning and teaching modes to online programs, users have started to demand more from technology enablers, causing a rush to ensure that development aligns with demands.”
Noting that technology has been used as a way to incorporate hybrid learning into the curriculum of students, Vinesh, who also oversees industry engagement at APU, said augmented reality (AR) and VR technologies are used to support teaching and learning in an instructional design method.
“Conventional teaching methods are considered to be monotonous and boring by students nowadays, so by moving into a more hybrid style of learning, we are able to provide a better perspective and understanding of subject matters.
Metaverse is definitely the ‘in thing’ now, and since AR and VR are its base platform, it is definitely here to stay because everything we do is centring itself around technology,” he said, pointing out that the APU XR (Meta) Studio is part of an endeavour to exploit the opportunities of a future where AR and VR are major features.
In an attempt to address the supply and demand imbalance currently present in the job market of technology sectors, the studio was designed with several objectives in mind, including as a place to develop products for the industry and refine research into the metaverse, he added.
Launched in June 2020 with Ministry XR Malaysia, the studio is also a novel facility equipped with technologies that are able to develop applications on AR, VR and a combination of both – known as mixed reality.
The studio, which houses the country’s first holographic station, can be visited by the public with no admission fee and is used for the teaching of computing and multimedia subjects as well as design and animation programmes under the school.
Besides being stocked with state-of-the-art equipment, it also boasts a 360-degree volumetric video capture zone, an extended education experience station, VolCap proprietary software, Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality smart glasses and high specification gaming standard workstations.
APU was also conferred the Premier Digital Tech University status by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation in 2017 for its commitment to offering outstanding digital technology courses, ensuring that highly skilled graduates are able to fulfil local and global job demands.
However, APU senior lecturer and studio lead Siti Azreena Mubin lamented that while many industry players are on the lookout for students who are well-versed with AR and VR technology, parents appear apprehensive.
“Most parents who attend our open day events do not seem to see a future with AR and VR technology. They often question whether there will be job offers for their children if they enrol for the programmes.”
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Azreena, who is a certified technologist with 12 years of experience in the multimedia sector, said the field is one that offers continuous job prospects, as skilled labour is consistently needed to make sure that equipment and programmes are in tip-top shape.
Once a project is done, it doesn’t just end there. There are still maintenance and enhancement works that need to be carried out, so there will always be a demand for skilled talent in the technology industry.”
Additionally, students who register for APU’s undergraduate programmes are also trained to face industry-based certificate exams such as those by the Cisco Certified Network Associate and the Computing Technology Industry Association.
Meanwhile, Wong Bee Suan, the head of APU’s School of Computing, highlighted the importance of integrating technology into academia, as the former is an effective tool that should be utilised to improve learning outcomes.
She said the APU School of Computing is at the forefront of cutting-edge technology for undergraduates and PhD students ranging from multimedia programmes, data analytics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
“Some of the recent pinnacles of APU’s academic programme are its ten research centres, which include an Asia Pacific Centre for Robotic Engineering, a Forensics & Cybersecurity Centre and a Financial Training Centre.”
She added that the Industry Advisory Panel actively engages members to bridge the gap between APU’s academic programmes and industry standards.
“The proof of our efforts lies in our 100% employability rate, which also shows the effectiveness of our approach.” – The Vibes, August 21, 2022
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