UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) is offering to help in the reskilling of workers affected by Sony’s plan to close its audio plant in Penang.
In a statement today, USM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan said USM was committed to helping Malaysia to grow and retain its talent, adding that reskilling could be one of the options to ensure talents in the country could revisit and re-plan their career paths.
He said USM was looking at offering short courses such as the internet of things (IoT), business analytics, business continuity, occupational safety and more at the certificate level.
“The courses will be conducted mainly at our Alor Setar and Kulim facilities and can be accessed online from wherever you are. Fees will be waived for the impacted staff,” he pointed out.
“We are initiating discussions with the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) on this move so that we can also help to channel those trained into relevant sectors.”
Faisal said USM was also looking into the possibility of absorbing potential staff from Sony’s research team in Penang.
In addition, he said, USM was looking into suitable pieces of equipment for the benefit of the students while, at the same time, accommodate ongoing and future research.
“For further details, kindly contact Tan Ewe Hoe at 017-4259455 or Marziana Mohamed Alias at 012-4622892,” he added.
Last week, Sony Corp announced that it will consolidate its manufacturing operations by transferring its operations in Penang to Selangor to further enhance operational efficiency.
Operations at the plant in Penang will end on Sept 30 next year and it will be shut by the end of March 2022 with about 3,600 employees affected. – Dec 10, 2020
