UTAR and Public Bank Bhd plan collaboration to benefit students

From left: Nik Zaitun, Lim, Prof Yow, Prof Goi, Prof Ewe, Khoo, Dato’ Chang, Lai, Chan, Shamini, Koay, Lee, Mary Ng and Dr Sia

UTAR and Public Bank Berhad (PBB) are preparing for collaborations that will bring numbers of benefits to UTAR community in the near future. The fruitful meeting took place in UTAR Sungai Long Campus on 1 October 2020.

“We want to lend a hand to the students by equipping them with skills even before their graduation. We also wish to bring in experienced people to provide insights to the students,” said PBB Deputy CEO Dato’ Chang Kat Kiam.

One of the possible collaborations discussed was the industrial attachment opportunity at Public Bank Berhad. Unlike any other internship programmes, PBB internship programme provides structured learning at the side of job attachment.

“To optimise our learning sessions, which, nowadays are conducted online, we always have at least two persons in charge at one time. During the session, not only lecture is held but also fun activities to ensure full involvement and attention from participants,” said PBB Senior General Manager of Knowledge and Learning Centre Koay Seok Khim. With PBB’s prominent position in Malaysia’s banking industry, the internship programme does not only nourish skills and knowledge but also increase the employability of graduates.

As part of the preparation to join the PBB family, PBB also plans to offer career counselling to the students to provide a better understanding of the expectation and preparation that they should have prior to starting their career in PBB. This counselling service will be offered to undergraduates and postgraduates alike.

Another initiative to get students involved in the industry is the PBB & UTAR Innovation Focus Group. This golden opportunity for students allows them to engage in products or campaigns by PBB and harvest the experiences first hand.

To address the financial situation that is often faced by fresh graduates, PBB also provides special financial packages called PBB Financial Journey. The package is a series of programmes designed to assist individual and non-individual clients in their journey with PBB, be it students, fresh graduates, families, retirees, entrepreneurs or SME businesses.

“The package can be introduced to the students so that they have an early financial awareness. With early awareness of how loans, investments, credit cards and other financial matters work, they have the opportunity to reach financial freedom sooner in their life,” said UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat.

In recognising the great achievements of UTAR students, PBB will also reward the top three students with best academic achievement from Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM) and Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF).

The two-hour meeting also saw mutual agreement on other collaborations, including lecture series with reputable speakers from PBB, collaboration with alumni and many more.

Also attending the meeting were Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Yow Ho Kwang, PBB General Manager of Human Capital Management Mary Ng Poh Lyn, PBB Director of Wealth Management and Transaction Banking Carene Khoo Geok Kheng, PBB Senior General Manager of Retail Financial Services Chan Chiew Peng, Dean of Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Ir Prof Dr Goi Bok Min, Dean of FAM Dr Sia Bee Chuan, Director of Division of Examinations, Awards & Scholarships Nik Zaitun binti Nik Salleh, PBB Head of Business Enhancement and Service Design Dennis Lai Koah Vui, PBB Bandar Sungai Long Branch Manager Angel Lee Kwai Eng, Head of Department of Alumni Relations and Placement Lim Swea Jen, and UTAR Head of Department of Accountancy K. Shamini.

Also attending the visit through video conference were UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, Dean of Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Assoc Prof Ts Dr Liew Soung Yue, FBF Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes Dr Choong Yuen Onn, and Deputy Director of Division of Community and International Networking Dr Chen, I-Chi.