AI course partnership boon for state’s tech ambitions
22 Feb 2024
Selangor hopes to nurture talents in data analytics, machine learning
A total of 31 final-year degree students graduated from a course aimed at giving them intensive training in data analytics and machine learning.
The AI Nusantara programme at Universiti Selangor (Unisel) in Kuala Selangor was taught by Selangor Digital School (SDS).
It is a collaboration between Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Cooperation (Sidec), which is a subsidiary of Invest Selangor Bhd, and The Hive Southeast Asia, which offers early-stage financing for startups.
The month-long programme came with internship placements with 105 leading tech companies that have agreed to cooperate with Sidec and SDS.
One of the students at the graduation ceremony held at I-City in Shah Alam was Unisel computer science (industrial computing) student Aleeya Umairah Mohd Isa, 21.
She said the AI Nusantara programme exposed her to apps used by consumers on a daily basis.
“It helped me learn beyond classroom walls,” she said.
Currently serving her internship at a smart home solution and security company, Aleeya said she hoped to reach the level of the company’s top programmer who could not only write software but create new products as well.
Another graduate, Unisel information technology student Mas Nor Zalia Elisa Mat Zahid, 21, said she signed up for the free programme as she viewed it as an opportunity to get a jump start in the job market.
Guests of honour at the ceremony were Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and state investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han.
Also present was Sidec chief executive officer Yong Kai Ping, who said SDS aimed to nurture 600 talents this year.
“The programme is designed to address the shortage of workforce in the artificial intelligence (AI) field, particularly in digital marketing and prompt engineering.
“Our goal is to see these students working in leading tech companies and not end up in other fields,” said Yong.
Ng, in his speech, said the programme was helping to create a tech-savvy workforce that would be much needed in smart cities.
Amirudin, who presented certificates to the graduates, said the programme was a step in the right direction towards Selangor developing its own technology hub with an aim to providing the private sector with a capable workforce.
A memorandum of understanding stipulating the credits of cloud services between YTL Power International Bhd and SDS was also handed over during the ceremony.
Source: The Star
