Eight postgraduate students recently received the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cutting-edge global supply chain field by attending a conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States in January.
The students are pursuing Masters of Science in Supply Chain Management (PSCM) part-time at the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (MISI).
While MISI helped build her foundation, Chithra Govindan, 39, said the Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Connect conference brought an entirely different dynamic to her student experience.
"The conference was a platform to engage corporate players, MIT students or professors and stakeholders within the supply chain industry.
"The brilliant speakers touched on everything from reducing food waste within the supply chain and women's development in the industry. The industry tours provided an insight to the way supply chain is managed in North America," said Chitra, who is a Petronas Lubricants International value chain manager.
Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food capability building head Steven Khoo, 32, said it was an experience to upskill himself.
"The focus on leading innovations and practical supply chain management applications through classes and activities with global experts made this programme very meaningful. Various experiential activities and simulations were used to create an interactive learning environment.
"In the Shark Tank competition, we were given the opportunity to pitch innovative and practical ideas to solve current supply chain issues. Competing as a team against many other outstanding teams bearing the high standards of MIT was an invaluable experience for me," said Khoo.
Asia Baru Construction general manager, Tan Siok Looi, 54, felt inspired by the learning approach at MIT.
"I gained so much insight on how to improve my job efficiency. I now realise that fundamental supply chain issues such as procurement, manufacturing, transportation and operations are applicable to the construction industry. I highly recommend aspiring leaders in the construction industry to explore new opportunities at MISI."
Lau Tzen Yik, 35 who works as a warehouse and transport specialist said: "We learnt from supply chain leaders from top companies namely Adidas and Home Depot and attended classes for Llamasoft and Python which are the software skills required in the industry."
For Sofia Shazlin Salleh, 25, networking with professionals from different parts of the world taught her about the global supply chain and how to manage issues in this field.
"I will definitely apply the knowledge that I gained at MIT in Malaysia."
The participants were selected to attend the conference after meeting four key criteria: scoring a high cumulative grade point average, completing half of their programme, making progress on their research thesis project, and receiving nominations by MISI faculty members.
Launched as a joint initiative between MIT and the Malaysian government in 2011, MISI is the fourth centre in the MIT Global SCALE Network.
The MISI Master of Science in Supply Chain Management programme is built on the top-ranked curriculum created by the MIT Centre for Transportation and Logistics.
MISI is offering RM20,000 scholarships to qualified students and an early bird discount of RM2,000 to those registering within a stipulated time.
For more information, contact MISI at 03 7841 4843 or visit www.misi.edu.my