Dedicated to preparing youths for jobs of the future, the #mydigitalmaker Movement have touched the lives of over 700,000 students nationwide since its formation in 2016, future proofing the next generation of Malaysians with essential digital skills. This announcement was made by Pn. Surina Shukri, CEO of MDEC at #mydigitalmaker Fair 2019, a physical manifestation of the #mydigitalmaker Movement.
The #mydigitalmaker Movement is a joint public-private-academia initiative by MDEC and the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE). The movement aimed to create a nation of digital makers by transforming Malaysian youth from digital users to digital producers; a mission established to address the need of future proofing Malaysians for the future of jobs.
With the intention to spark interests amongst young minds in future digital careers, MDEC and Engage Media hosted #mydigitalmaker Fair for its third year. Designed to give visitors a hands-on digital experience through a variety of exciting booth exhibitions, panel discussions and competitions; the Fair took place on 14 and 15 September 2019 at Malaysia International Trade Exhibition Center.
“When the #mydigitalmaker Movement was introduced in 2017, MDEC embarked on a mission to ensure all Malaysian youths are ready for jobs of the future. Today I am glad to say that the Movement have touched the lives of over 700,000 students nationwide, which shows tremendous promise that Malaysia is headed in the right direction,” commented Surina Shukri. “With that said, we have no intentions of slowing down. Through the Fair, we are exposing more youths to digital creativity and innovation and showing them how their interests can be relevant to the jobs of the future.”
“The task of transforming Malaysian youths from digital users to producers can only be achieved through the collaboration from all parties. As a private entity, we are proud to be partnering up with MDEC for #mydigitalmaker Movement to cultivate Malaysian digital talents,” said Chung Tack Soon.
#mydigitalmaker Fair 2019 serves as a platform to showcase innovative technology as MoE and MDEC unveils the nation’s first Digital Tech Tertiary Matching Platform, a complex algorithm software that serves as a guide for high school students to identify their potential tertiary education pathways in digital technology courses.
The Digital Tech Tertiary Matching Platform will provide various enhancements such as providing recommendations on the subjects they need to improve should they wish to target certain courses/universities, enhance the visibility for in-demand tech courses offered by Premier Digital Tech Institutions, leading to higher STEM intakes and empower school counsellors to play a more prominent role to promote tech tertiary courses and prepare students for their tertiary pathways.
Other highlights of the Fair include a special appearance by YB Dr. Maszlee Malik, Minister of Education, panel discussions involving key spokespeople such as YB Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change and Dr. Wan Wardatul Amani Wan Salim, the first Malaysian to work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launch a satellite.
The Fair will also feature a variety of competitions, participated by schools and students from across the nation. One of the competitions is the ‘Battle of Digital Ninjas’, where students groomed under the Digital Ninja programme will be pitching their ideas on solving real world problem to a panel of judges. Furthermore, #mydigitalmaker Fair attendees will also get to experience interactive booths such as Space Explorer in collaboration with the Ambassador of US Embassy of Kuala Lumpur, Her Excellency Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir; Digital Seniman to showcase digital making in the film industry, and more.
#mydigitalmaker Fair 2019 is made possible with the involvement of #mydigitalmaker Association, Premier Digital Tech Institutions, and public and private sector ecosystem partners.
