KUCHING: Students of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (Swinburne Sarawak) looking to take up internships now have another company with which to further develop their knowledge and skills.
The Australian university branch campus recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NS BlueScope Lysaght (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd that will see the latter taking in students from the university as interns.
“Learning by working closely with those in the industry reinforces the knowledge and skills they acquire at university,” said Swinburne Sarawak campus pro vice chancellor Professor Lau Hieng Ho.
He said that internships also helped students to adapt to the dynamics of the work environment and give them the grounding they need for their career.
“Swinburne’s DNA has always been industry-focused education that emphasises the employability of our graduates,” said Swinburne Sarawak Deputy Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor John Wilson.
“To achieve this goal, we are constantly working with industry and we encourage more organisations to join us as partners in producing the human resources Sarawak needs for its vision to become a high-income state by 2030.”
Lysaght is a joint venture establishment between Pan Sarawak Holdings Sdn Bhd and NS BlueScope Lysaght Singapore Pte Ltd. Its main activity is the manufacture of roof and wall profiles, and structural products under the Lysaght brand.
“We are honoured to be able to collaborate with Swinburne Sarawak, and we thank them for putting their trust in us to help shape the future of their selected students through this partnership,” said Lysaght’s general manager Lee Tze Hing.
“As a market leader in the premium metal roofing industry, it is crucial for us to not only guide these students, but support them by means of providing them the materials they need to complete their projects/assignments.
“After all, they might be the ones who would one day continue our legacy.”
The other areas Swinburne Sarawak and Lysaght Sarawak will jointly look into are research and development, staff development, industry awards for students with outstanding academic achievements, as well as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) outreach programmes and corporate social responsibility activities.
