The In-Country Program on “Training Methodology in TVET and Innovative TVET Teaching Methods” was jointly conducted by the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) and the Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) with the coordination of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Malaysia. A total of 57 university professors and teachers joined the program held from September 9 to 13, 2024 at UMPSA Pekan Campus in Pahang, Malaysia.

The training program was crafted to introduce TVET Teaching Methodology to instructors and lecturers (of Level 6 and above MQF), and allow the participants to design organizational strategies to improve the quality of teaching. These objectives were fulfilled with the supervision of Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja, CPSC Director General; and Professor Dato’ Ts. Dr. Yuserrie bin Zainuddin DIMP, UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, together with Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, CPSC Governing Board-Engaged Faculty Consultant; and Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahrir Mohd Sani, UMPSA Director, who served as Program Coordinators.

Professor Ts. Dr. Aida Binti Mustapha, UMPSA Deputy Vice-Chancellor (top left), Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja, CPSC Director General (top right), and YBhg. Datin Noorazah Binti Omar, Undersecretary of International Relations Division, MOHE and the designated Liaison Officer in Malaysia (bottom) deliver their respective messages during the opening ceremony

CPSC and UMPSA inaugurated the program on September 9, 2024. The opening ceremony was led by Professor Ts. Dr. Aida Binti Mustapha, UMPSA Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), and Prof. Dr. Dhameja who attended online. In their welcome remarks, Prof Dr. Aida extended her deepest gratitude to CPSC, UMPSA, and MOHE-Malaysia for their commitment and collaborative efforts to materialize the program. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Dhameja expressed his hopes for the success of this program, including its goal for participants to learn more about innovative teaching methods.

(From left to right) Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahrir Mohd Sani; YBhg. Datin Noorazah Binti Omar; Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen; and Professor Ts. Dr. Aida Binti Mustapha roll out the banner to officially launch ICP Malaysia

Furthermore, YBhg. Datin Noorazah Binti Omar, Undersecretary of International Relations Division, MOHE and the designated Liaison Officer in Malaysia, delivered a short address as the Chief Guest of the program. This was followed by a gimmick organized by UMPSA and CPSC to commemorate the official launching of the ICP Malaysia.

Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, CPSC Faculty Consultant (left); Prof. Ts. Dr. Hamdan Bin Daniyal, Associate Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, UMPSA (center); and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Awanis Romli, UMPSA Director at Centre of Instructional Resources & e-Learning (left) discuss their theme papers

Ms. Teh Sook Ling, Executive Director of Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (top left): Dr. Choo Yun Huoy, Associate Professor in Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (top right); and Prof. Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim, former UMPSA Professor (bottom) facilitate the workshops

Group photo of the participants after the workshop of Ms. Teh Sook Ling

Shortly after the opening ceremony, Prof. Dr. Dhameja delivered a special lecture on Blue Ocean Strategy for Entrepreneurship Training in TVET in Asia Pacific Region. Presentation of theme papers and workshops were also facilitated throughout the program.

Panelists and moderator during the Open Forum of the National Seminar

To supplement the lectures and workshops, the National Seminar on Empowering Innovative and Teaching Methods in TVET was conducted on September 12, 2024. The seminar started with a keynote speech from Prof. Dr. Dhameja as he discussed the topic on TVET-Industry Integration for Improved Teaching-Learning. The succeeding sessions were dedicated to the following panelists: Dr. Choo Yun Huoy, Associate Professor in Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM); Prof. Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim, former UMPSA Professor; and Mr. Alexis Joseph, Operations Manager in AJ Consultancy and Sustainability Services. After the sessions, Dr. Kesavan moderated the open forum to extend the discussion between the participants and the panelists.

Group photo during the National Seminar on Empowering Innovative and Teaching Methods in TVET

Dr. Kesavan (top left) and UMPSA Director Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahrir Mohd Sani (top right) impart their closing messages during the closing ceremony; Dr. Kesavan receives a token of appreciation from UMPSA on behalf of CPSC (bottom)

During the closing ceremony, selected participants shared the feedback and learnings they have gained from the resource speakers. The overall program was then summarized by Dr. Kesavan as he recounted the lectures and activities implemented for the participants. He also thanked UMPSA for the full support and cooperation throughout the program. In addition, the participants and the local program organizers were conferred with certificates and tokens of appreciation. The training program officially concluded with a closing message delivered by UMPSA Director Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahrir Mohd Sani.