International Youth Development Conference 2018

Group photo of the VIPs, speakers and participants after the opening ceremony

Over 90 participants were shown the ropes of being empowered youths for the future during the International Youth Development Conference (IYDC) 2018 at UTAR Kampar Campus from 17 to 19 August 2018.

The conference saw students from UTAR, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Raffles University Iskandar as well as foreign universities such as China University of Political Science and Law (CUPSL, 中国政法大学) and Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU). IYDC was jointly organised by Kampar Campus’ Department of Student Affairs (DSA) and Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC) in collaboration with the Malaysian Service Providers’ Confederation (MSPC). Themed ‘Shaping the Future: Technology and Humanity’, the three-day conference aimed to instill in the participants knowledge and confidence to be ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as youths.

Present at IYDC’s opening ceremony were MSPC CEO and Immediate Past President Ir Choo Kok Beng, Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong representing UTAR President, Keynote Speaker and President of Malaysian Association of Professional Trainers and Coaches (MapTac) Soo Hoo Yoon Hunn, DSA Kampar Campus Head Chiang Jeng Fong, DSSC Kampar Campus Head Hee Chwen Yee, Chairperson of UTAR Kampar Campus Student Representative Council Loh Jia Hui, sponsors and guest speakers.

Explaining the purpose of IYDC, Prof Choong, also the Organising Chairperson, said, “The World Economic Forum previously reported that by 2020, five million jobs will be lost and replaced by technology due to 4IR. This calls for a need to re-evaluate our skills to adapt to the changes.” He also pointed out an example of businesses which have started using data analytics in expediting work, thus highlighting the importance to not only have such knowledge but also learn other skills such as problem solving, cultural intelligence which are irreplaceable by technology and machines. “I hope that all of you will be able to fully use these few days to approach our knowledgeable speakers and learn something which you may not be able to get elsewhere,” he concluded.

Prof Choong explaining the significance of organising IYDC

Thanking the organising committee for inviting MSPC as a joint organiser, Ir Choo expressed his delight to be part of this youth empowerment conference. “MSPC’s involvement in IYDC stems from the strong feeling of our younger generations to manage the exponential change of the oncoming 4IR. This is a good platform for all of you to interact with our many speakers who have vast knowledge which will be useful for you to face challenges,” he said.

Ir Choo explaining the role of MSPC and the honour to be the co-organiser of IYDC

Prof Choong presenting the UTAR pennant and souvenirs to Ir Choo

Ir Choo presenting a certificate of appreciation to Keynote Speaker Soo Hoo (left) while Prof Choong (middle) looks on

IYDC Speakers and trainers (clockwise from top left) Prof Zhang, Ng, Dr Alan Wong, Teoh, Allen Ho, and Chu

IYDC officially raised its curtains with Keynote Speaker Soo Hoo delivering the conference theme’s titular Keynote Address. The award winning Master Trainer underlined the importance of embracing 4IR’s unprecedented changes as youths and upskilling themselves to be relevant as well as productive. Among the skills outlined by Soo Hoo were the ability to communicate out of comfort zone as well as the ability to think out of the box.

Soo Hoo injecting humour into his keynote address 

Throughout the duration of the conference, participants were able to pick the brains from the erudite speakers and trainers during the different talks and workshops. The talks included Shanghai MingDe Institute of Learning Organisation Institute Director Prof Zhang Shenxiong’s “The Development of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in China – How Chinese Youth will face the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, digital marketing practitioner-cum-certified PSMB train-the-trainer and NLP practitioner Chester Tan Sock Ban’s “Digital Marketing”, and UTAR Faculty of Information and Communication Technology academic Dr Lee Wai Kong’s “How Blockchain Works”. Parallel workshops such as “Smart Reading – Pathway to Learning Excellence” by Total Brain Technology Sdn Bhd Training Director Dr Alan Wong, “Fear Not of the Unpredictable” by Facilitator of Mind Science Association Malaysia (MSM) Ng Thian Watt, and “High Order Thinking of the 4^th Industrial Revolution” by Founder of Creative Maths Teoh Poh Yew, were held with the purpose to provide hands-on projects for the participants.  

From left: Prof Zhang, Chester Tan, and Dr Lee presenting their talks with the purpose to broaden the participants’ horizon

From left: Dr Alan Wong, Ng, and Teoh conducting the workshops aimed to inspire the participants

To allow the participants to have a well-rounded view of 4IR and to spur discussions, a forum titled “Getting Ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution” was also held. The forum saw Prof Zhang, Digital Transformation LifeTech Solutions Sdn Bhd Director and Advisor Chu Hong Keong, and Global General Manager of ZingPlus Anthony Chia sharing their respective insights of the oncoming and unprecedented industrial revolution.

Ng (most left) moderating the forum

Clockwise from top left: Prof Zhang, Chu, Anthony Chua and Allen Ho as panelists of the forum 

“My favourite part was the forum because the four panelists, from various backgrounds, gave valuable insights into the many perspectives of 4IR, which is already happening in many parts of the world,” said UTAR Biomedical Science student Hanis Batrisyia binti Pengiran Sabdin who was equally impressed by IYDC’s line-up of guests, speakers and trainers. “That was the reason I participated in IYDC. Through the sessions, I learnt that the size of an organisation doesn’t matter but most importantly, it has to act fast in order to align itself with the changes across the globe and then also to be able to give back to the society,” she added.

Although not a fan of technology-themed topics, KGU student Haruna Miyazaki was determined to join IYDC as she understood the importance of being prepared for 4IR. “The talks and workshops have given me a clearer picture of how to adapt to changes and how to leverage technology but not to be too dependent on it,” the Policy Studies student commented.

Echoing Miyazaki’s thoughts, Shi Tianyu from CUPSL felt that the bring-home message is that youths must learn to think critically, improve creativity and appreciate the diversity in ideas as well as perspectives.

 Participants paying full attention during the talks and participating fully in the workshops 

Participants sharing their thoughts and learning outcome towards the end of the conference

Following the success of the University Young Leaders Conference 2017, IYDC 2018 is another youth enrichment programme by UTAR and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau.