Ali Rustam named UTeM chancellor

 

The Malacca Yang di-Pertua Negeri Mohd Ali Rustam has been appointed as the third chancellor of Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM).

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah consented to the appointment of Mohd Ali, 72, as the UTeM chancellor for four years from Aug 15 last year to June 3, 2024.

Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad, on behalf of the Agong, handed over the letter of appointment to Mohd Ali at his office in Ayer Keroh yesterday.

Mohd Ali took over the post from former Malacca Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Melaka Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

Also present at the ceremony were Mohd Ali’s wife, Asmah Abdul Rahman; Malacca Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali and UTeM Pro Chancellors Halim Saad and Sabirin Ja'afar.

In his speech, Mohd Ali said UTeM, established on Dec 1, 2000, was the first technical university in Malaysia and as such, it should be in the mainstream of higher education in the country as the main driving force to shape the new direction of the Malaysian society towards economic and social transformation, especially in the era of Industry 4.0 and the digital economy.

“I also see UTeM as always being committed to helping the country and Melaka in providing a highly-skilled workforce.

"Implementation of the Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) roadmap is expected to produce graduates who are balanced, holistic and enterprising to develop the state and the country in general," he added.

Mohd Ali said in the context of mainstream national development, UTeM is engaged by policymakers at all levels in the planning of the country’s direction, especially in the field of engineering, technology and TVET.

‘’Smart co-operation and networking among stakeholders such as industries, federal and state governments and the communities must be enhanced to realise the global agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030,” he added.

- Bernama