A local private school entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Malaysian school geared towards academic advancement in skills and job-centered education in the international arena.

The signatories of the MOU were the Southern City Colleges, the oldest local private school headed by Edwin Calilio, and the Universiti Teknology Malaysia-School of Professional and Continuing Education (UTM-SPACE) represented by Ariffin Willie Bin Muhammad.

Among the activities for possible collaboration between SCC and UTM-SPACE are the promotion of academic programs, professional development programs consisting of short courses and professional certificates, seminars and conferences, and module development.

“We will have to work on the details on what possible programs that we can collaborate,” Caliolio said after the MOU signing, citing that the UTM-SPACE is an industry-based education institution.

“We are going to organize the skills programs,” Willie said, adding that “students who will successfully finish the program, they can work in Malaysia and other places”.

He said there are so many opportunities once they complete the skills programs.

The UTM-SPACE is currently Malaysia’s leading innovation-driven entrepreneurial research university in engineering, science and technology and is the largest contributor to the country’s technical and professional workforce.

Caliolio, said the partnership is the first of its kind in the region, which can bring forth tangible benefits to aspiring Zamboangueño students as well as those from nearby provinces, who wish to undergo skills training and academic programs attuned to international standards.

The two school officials said that if the terms and undertakings of the MOU shall be found feasible and acceptable to both parties, the next step shall be the signing of a more detailed and legally binding Memorandum of Agreement in Malaysia to be administered by Malaysia’s Minister of Education.

UTM-SPACE, which started as a specialized center for the implementation of lifelong learning programs at the university level in Malaysia, was launched in July 1993.

On the other hand, the SCC is a private non-sectarian college founded on December 8, 1946. It was once established as Southern Academy in 1946, then renamed as Southern College of Commerce in 1952 and as Southern City Colleges in 1962. (PNA)