UniKL becomes the first university in SEA to collaborate with global licencing body

Universiti Kuala Lumpur made history in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) when it became the first university in Southeast Asia to collaborate with an international licensing body on rail transport signal control systems.

This is after the technical university sealed a collaboration with the Institute of Railway Signal Engineers United Kingdom (UK), IRSE, which was established over 100 years ago.

The Minister of Rural Development, Dato’ Seri Mahdzir Khalid said that a precise agreement will be signed with the IRSE to enable UniKL to offer courses at the level of Advanced Diploma and Certificate of Competency (CoC) that are recognised worldwide.

“After this, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) will follow up with UniKL to finalise an agreement between UniKL and IRSE, which might involve the development of rail experts and professionals.”

“Second, (we may) establish a collaboration in terms of membership for Malaysia and perhaps we can be an Assessment Center and IRSE representative in the Southeast Asian region,” said him in a statement, yesterday (15 June 2022).

Dato’ Seri Mahdzir had earlier held a meeting with IRSE Chief Executive, Blane Judd at the IRSE Headquarters in London to finalise the mutually agreed field collaboration.

Also present were Ministry of Rural Development Secretary-General, Dato’ Ramlan Harun, Director General of MARA, Dato’ Azhar Abdul Manaf and the Dean of Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Italy Design Institute (UniKL MIDI), Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Azman Senin.

Dato’ Seri Mahdzir added that through the collaboration, UniKL Asia Rail Center has been appointed as the Center for Offering Professional Development Programmes that start at the certificate and Advanced Diploma levels in the field of signal control certified by the IRSE.

IRSE also agreed to appoint UniKL as an Assessment Center for signal control engineers and professionals who will be assessed by the UniKL Asia Rail Center and the UK licensing body in order to obtain certification that will be recognised worldwide.

Established in 1912, Dato’ Seri Mahdzir said, IRSE now has 5,000 members from 53 countries and has 5,759 professional licensees in the field of signal control systems and rail transport telecommunications.

For the record, UniKL Aisa Rail Centre is recognised as the nation’s first national higher institute focusing on rail technology offering professional courses, licence programmes and customised courses for the professional development of the rail industry workforce in Malaysia.

Meantime, Assoc Prof Ir. Dr. Azman said that students at UniKL can benefit from the high demand for rail transport communication signal control systems in the job market.

“Operators also want a skilled and competent workforce. The IRSE certification enables us to produce graduates that can work and be recognized not only at the Malaysian level, but also at the Asean level, and that is our first wish.

“Of course, we would like our students or graduates able to work and be recognised globally as well,” said him.