AwanBiru Technology Berhad (Awantec) banded together with Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to drive the upskilling of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) within UiTM campuses across the nation.
The fruit of the collaboration, nicknamed No One Left Behind is a programme that is very much focused on effective upskilling and self-development of PWDs to address economic disparities across the said group – in line with both the Government’s Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and UiTM primary focus of inclusivity.
Capitalising on state-of-the-art profiling systems, Awantec will play a pivotal part to accurately and systematically appraise PWDs primarily, along with the B40 group across UiTM to propel holistic upskilling and development of the said groups. This includes future proofing them for the Industry 4.0 via online learning to keep them ahead of the curve.
The pilot initiative which spans across 12-month, is a pure manifestation of commitment by both Awantec and UiTM towards addressing PWDs limited access to employment, by leveraging on digital learning’s cornerstone of multi-modality to institute equal academic footing, giving PWDs a fighting chance to prosper like everybody else.
In a small ceremony held this morning at UiTM Puncak Alam Campus, Selangor, the Deputy Rector (Student Affairs), Associate Professor Dr. Badrul Isa disclosed the starting point of the initiative and the university’s aspiration towards realising the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.
“The recent statistic revealed that we have more than 150 PWD students, studying in UiTM across 16 of our campuses nationwide,” he highlighted.
“UiTM is the very first public university in Malaysia that prioritized the PWD Service Unit by placing it right under the supervision of the Vice Chancellor’s Office. The establishment of the PWD Service Unit itself is very much aligned with the foundation of the PWD Inclusivity Guideline for Institutions of Higher Education, which was launched back in September 2019.
It is my wish for this initiative to be the stepping stone towards the bright future of equal and holistic development for all, with no one left behind, as per outlined in the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030,” he added.
Representing Awantec, Dr. Peter Lee Fuei Siong, Director, Talent and Development expressed the Group’s full, undivided commitment towards achieving the same goal.
“Changes are taking place. The way of everything being done is evolving rapidly. There is no other way around, other than future-proofing the PWDs to give them the same edge to be able to stay ahead. As the nation’s leading Technology and Talent provider, we are all in to ensure the PWDs are able to benefit from online learning and all of its advantages to accommodate for their needs, in ensuring our vision of holistic society growth to become a reality,” said Dr Peter Lee.