Graduate preparedness is an issue that is important to many Malaysian higher education institutions as this affects their employability. The importance of this has led to the inauguration of Graduate Preparedness Advisory Committee (GPAC) of International Medical University (IMU)’s School of Health Sciences (SOHS). This inauguration was held together with a forum “Skills and Qualities Required in the 21st Century Workplace” to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of SOHS. The forum was held on 17 October, 2018 at IMU. It started off with a welcoming address from Prof Winnie Chee (Dean of SOHS), in the presence of Prof Patricia Lim, IMU’s Associate Dean, Industry Partnership. Speakers for this forum are all GPAC members appointed by SOHS.
| Name | Company | Perspective of Talk |
|---|---|---|
| Viva Chan | Thermo Fisher Scientific (Director, Strategic Marketing and Business Development) | Biomedical Science and Biotechnology perspective |
| James Then | CryoCord Sdn Bhd (Managing Director) | Research & Development Perspective (Stem Cells) |
| Shanaz FH Mawji | Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare College (Former Education Chief Executive Officer) | Healthcare Industry Perspective |
| Goh Mun Hon | Institut Jantung Negara @National Heart Institute, (Principal Medical Lab Scientist) | Clinical Biomedical Lab Perspective |
| Wong Mei Ching | Nestle Products Sdn Bhd (Group Corporate Nutrition Manager) | Food Industry Perspective |
| Wiwick Wardati Binti Baharudin | Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur (Director of Nursing) | Nursing Perspective |
The forum spanned 2 hours and was moderated by Prof Chin Beek Yoke, Associate Dean (Research & External Affairs, SOHS). All the panel members addressed some key attributes, transferable skills and non-traditional skills that current recruiters are looking for in fresh graduates that are often not advertised.
| Approximately 450 students attended the forum from all the programmes in SOHS. |
|---|
| Dietetics with Nutrition students : DN115 (51 students), DN116 (94 students), DN117 (156 students) |
| Biomedical Science students : BM 116/117 (56 students) |
| Medical Biotechnology student : MB 116 (29 students) |
| Nursing students : NU114 (46 students) |
| Nutrition students : NT116 (14 students) |
This event has created competency self-awareness and social awareness among students on what is expected of them upon graduation, and it is an invaluable experience for students to hear directly from our internship industry partners.
The very first meeting between faculty and GPAC members of all of the programmes in SOHS also took placed on the same day after the forum. The curriculum of each progarmme were presented, in particular the internship component. In the meeting, the perspectives from GPAC members on future directions of the profession and also some gaps and opportunities have been identified. More meetings are expected to take place between faculty and GPAC members to strengthen the curriculum of all programmes in SOHS to equip students for the demand of industries. Other activities for School of Health Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebrations: Learning about Research Opportunities at School of Health Sciences’ Research Day IMU School of Health Sciences Alumni Celebrates its 10th Anniversary with Homecoming Night 2018 Gala Dinner Concludes IMU’s School of Health Sciences’ 10th Year Anniversary Celebrations
