UniKL, the earliest university to have a Centre for Water Engineering Technology

Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) through its Bangi-based institute, UniKL Malaysia France Institute (UniKL MFI) has become the earliest institution in Malaysia to have its very own Centre for Water Engineering Technology (CWET) to further enhance skill and knowledge for the existing and new workforce in the sector.

This came after the CWET academic building key was handed over in a closed ceremony yesterday, according to Head Of Section, UniKL MFI Water & Energy Section, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Engku Ahmad Azrulhisham Engku Mohamed.

He added, the new 35,000-square-feet CWET building is equipped with virtual, decentralised, real-time, and immersive laboratories that aim to nurture creativity and innovation. 

Among housed within the CWET building is the Water Resources Management Laboratory, equipped with a state-of-the-art and IoT-based real-time water quality monitoring system which is developed in partnership with the French-based Veolia Group.

“Approved under the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMKe-11), the CWET offers the Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Automated Water and Wastewater Operation System (BET AWWOS) with Honours and the Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Water Engineering and Energy (BET WEEn) with Honours. 

“These four-year engineering technology programmes emphasise on comprehensive understanding of general water engineering principles along with deep digital, complex problem-solving, collaboration, communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills at their core.

“The construction of CWET started in April 2019 and was completed in January 2021,” told him. 

Also offered by the CWET is the Master of Science in Water and Hydropower Engineering which is a double degree programme jointly offered by UniKL and IHE Delft, which is based in the Netherlands. Students who successfully complete this programme will be awarded two Master Degrees from UniKL and IHE Delft respectively. 

For the career opportunities benefit of future graduates, it is also vital that the programmes offered by the CWET have an appropriate standard and quality that will meet the needs of current and future employers, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Engku Ahmad Azrulhisham further noted.

Through accreditation by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the quality of the programmes is kept to the highest standard and on par with most universities in the world. 

For the record, the job market of the water sector is shifting to higher educational requirements. Nearly 75% of new job openings in the water sector require a bachelor’s degree. 

However, only 25% of the existing labour force has the educational qualification, resulting in difficulties for transition to high-income industry, as per the Economic Report 2009 / 2010, Ministry of Finance.

Hence, in September 2021, UniKL MFI began offering both Bachelor’s Degree and Master of Engineering Technology (Water Engineering and Energy) with a record enrolment of 18 students, to date. 

The new degrees offered by the CWET is one of the most innovative, interdisciplinary offerings in the country and will position graduates for a wide spectrum of careers in private industry, federal and state agencies. 

The study of emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) technologies offered in the programme also provides opportunities both inside and outside the field of the water sector. 

“Understanding the deep digital, advanced automation, autonomous UAV, and data analytics can help students even if they enter other fields including precision agriculture, connected smart cities, intelligent factories, and other careers demands for well-versed knowledge in disruptive technology. 

“By means of adapting engineering technology education to the IR4.0 vision, the establishment of CWET is not merely to usher graduates into current jobs but to develop employees of the future, and enable some of them to power the next-generation industries. 

“Taking everything into account, it is essential for UniKL as the leading entrepreneurial technical university in Malaysia to initiate, support, and train the future-ready “digital employee”,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Engku Ahmad Azrulhisham explained.