KUANTAN: Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) has established ties with China-based Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College (LZRVTC) to set up a rail training centre at the Pekan campus here.
The training facility known as UMPSA rail training centre will spearhead efforts to boost engineering and rail technology to strengthen the country's Technical and Vocational Education and Training agenda.
LZRVTC, an institution located in Guangxi, China specialises in the technology and rail engineering field, serves as the reference centre for the rail industry in the southern part of China.
UMPSA vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Ts. Dr Yuserrie Zainuddin received the mock-cheque worth RM5.6million for rail related education in the campus including softwares for the programme and training modules from LZRVTC President Qin Haibo in a ceremony yesterday.
Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail witnessed the event alongside Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak and UMPSA board of director's chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Razak Jaafar.
Yuserrie said UMPSA has previously established collaborations with MRL and China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC) in the East Coast Rail Link Industrial Skills Training Programme (PLKI-ECRL).
"PLKI-ECRL began between 2017 and 2022. It has been extended for another five years till 2027.
"CCCC is the main contractor for engineering, procurement, construction and project commissioning for the East Coast Rail Link(ECRL) project while LZRVTC conducts TVET training for the ECRL workforce, a project owned by MRL.
"UMPSA's collaboration with LZRVTC paves the opportunity for both parties to explore the potential in the ECRL project including preparing training modules for operations and rail maintenance," he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Yuserrie said the ongoing cooperation between UMPSA and Beijing Jiaotong University in China in the civil, mechanical and electrical engineering dual-degree programmes has contributed to the development of the country's railway industry since 2020.
"The dual-degree programme undergraduates receive scholarships from the Public Service Department," he said.