In conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, Women in Rail Malaysia in partnership with SIPP-YTL and Industry Centre of Excellence for Railway (ICoE-Rel) of Universiti Tun Hussien Onn (UTHM) Pagoh Campus, in Johor, organized a panel discussion entitled Persediaan Sebelum Menempuh Alam Pekerjaan on 20th October 2022.
The focus of this one-hour panel discussion was to discuss about the students’ preparation before stepping into their future working life. Third and fourth year Railway Engineering students were invited to this session.
This session featured 3 speakers namely Dato Sri’ Dato Sri Azmi Abdul Aziz (CEO of YTL Rail), Natasha Zulkifli (Founder Director of Women in Rail Malaysia) and Prof. Madya Ir. Dr. Muhammad Saufi Kamarudin (Director of UTHM Career Development Center and Alumni) together with a moderator, Dr Nofrizalidris Darlis (Deputy Dean of Students Affairs).
Dato Sri’ Azmi Abdul Aziz who has more than 30 years of experience in various rail-related projects globally shared some of his past stories including his educational background
and career journey. He understood that most the students that were about to graduate would be naturally very anxious and nervous before stepping into the workforce, especially with the current economy being badly affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He encouraged the students to not give up and to keep striving for the best. He then shared about the future of Malaysia’s rail space including upcoming projects such as the High-Speed Rail (HSR) and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Circle Line.
Our very own Founder Director, Natasha Zulkifli, shared on Women in Rail Malaysia’s story and the initiatives as well as opportunities afforded to its members. She shared current market trends and the skills which the rail industry is demanding from employees. Natasha also highlighted how organizations today are not only looking for employees that are good in technical skills but soft skills as well. Technical skills constantly evolve and change, but soft skills will remain throughout someone’s career.
And finally, Prof. Madya Ir. Dr. Muhammad Saufi Kamarudin shared about the university’s role and efforts in preparing students with the essential skills needed to enter the working world. He also emphasized how crucial it is for students to be equipped with these skills considering how competitive today’s market is.