Bayan lepas: The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has mandated Politeknik Balik Pulau in Penang and Politeknik Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah in Kedah to reassess their course offerings to align with the escalating demands of the high-tech industry, particularly the growing semiconductor sector. Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir emphasized the significance of this initiative during the IEEE International Symposium on the Physical and Failure Analysis of Integrated Circuits (IPFA) 2025 at the Setia Spice Convention Centre.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Zambry highlighted that both polytechnics are strategically located near Malaysia's semiconductor hub, making them pivotal in fostering the nation's ambitions in this field. The minister stated, "I've instructed the two polytechnics in the northern region to re-evaluate the courses they offer, so they can realign their programmes to meet the growing demand of this rapidly developing sector."
Zambry further articulated the government's vision to create a robust ecosystem supporting Malaysia's goal to emerge as a leader in the semiconductor industry, which includes chip design and manufacturing. This initiative also ensures the country's competitiveness in the global technology arena. The minister stressed the need for a comprehensive educational ecosystem and reinforced the importance of strategic collaborations between universities and industry, especially in engineering and semiconductor disciplines.
He acknowledged the pivotal roles of institutions like Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis in these fields. Zambry also noted the contributions of five universities under the Malaysia Technical University Network (MTUN) that focus on high-level technical domains such as engineering, semiconductors, IT, and AI.
Highlighting USM's achievements, Zambry praised the university for its successful chip development through industry partnerships, showcasing the capabilities of Malaysian higher education institutions in both the back-end and front-end aspects of the semiconductor industry.
The IPFA 2025 conference, scheduled from August 5 to 8, is organized by USM's Collaborative Microelectronic Design Excellence Centre (CEDEC) and is being hosted in Malaysia for the second time. The event includes paper presentations, keynote speeches, tutorials, workshops, and sessions featuring local and international industry representatives, focusing on advanced packaging, failure analysis, and integrated circuit design.