Partnership

We are pleased to share with you that APU has successfully applied to be a part of the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union (EU)!

ERASMUS+ FRIENDS kick-off Project Meeting @ Kuala Lumpur

In collaboration with SuperCharger, Asia’s leading financial technology (“FinTech”) accelerator, we are now the first university in Malaysia to offer undergraduate programmes related to FinTech, to address the needs for talent development in this emerging industry. The launch of the programme was officiated through the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Datuk Parmjit Singh, CEO of APIIT Education Group and Johnny Mayo, Asia General Manager, SuperCharger FinTech Accelerator on 29 November 2018.

Prior to the launch, SuperCharger conducted the “Train the Trainer” programme at APU, to equip the APU academic team with foundational knowledge in FinTech and to prepare them for effective programme and subject delivery.

The Bachelor in Banking and Finance with a specialism in Financial Technology is a 3 years degree programme that aims to deliver technical knowledge and skills in handling digital banking and finance products and services. Specialised modules delivered through the programme include introduction on essentials of FinTech, Enabling FinTech, Digital Currencies and Blockchain Technologies, Crowdfunding and Alternative Lending, FinTech Governance, Risk Management & Compliance with the ability for the students to become entrepreneurs in FinTech.

Under the collaboration between SuperCharger and APU, the APU SuperCharger FinTech Academy will also be established at APU, to facilitate the research and development in FinTech-related areas. SuperCharger will offer their assistance to students in realizing their FinTech startup ideas, encouraging them to be FinTech entrepreneurs in the future. It is also anticipated that SuperCharger will continue to facilitate guest lectures at APU to expose students and staff towards this emerging industry.

Prior to this collaboration, SuperCharger facilitated a guest lecture at APU by Huy Nguyen Trieu (Co-Founder of the Centre of Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) and CEO of the Disruptive Group) in May 2018, to educate students the importance of FinTech and to provide further understanding of FinTech applications.

We are proud to be chosen by SuperCharger to become the first university in Malaysia to launch this programme. Together with SuperCharger, we aim to address the talent gaps in the industry and we look forward to seeing our graduates of this programme contribute significantly to the FinTech industry.

The Bachelor in Banking and Finance with a specialism in Financial Technology is expected to commence in February 2019. Graduates in this programme are in high demand, in which they may pursue careers as Financial Analysts, Financial Engineers, Quantitative Analysts, Financial Technologists, Compliance Expert, Strategy Analysts and more.

Earlier this month, we signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with CASUGOL, a Singapore based international certification body, to officially kick-start an inspiring partnership to provide academicians, educators, researchers, and students with the opportunity to receive professional training and get certified in emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, Big Data and Cloud Computing.

Based in Singapore, CASUGOL is an international certification body offering a wide range of professional training and certification programs designed for all industries and verticals. Courses designed by CASUGOL are constantly reviewed by educators who are industry experts in their chosen field to ensure that they remain current, relevant and consistently high quality.

As part of this partnership agreement, CASUGOL will serve as a principal and body of knowledge to transfer knowledge and technical know-how on Industry 4.0 related technologies to lecturers, researchers and students at APU and jointly organise courses, workshops, events with APU to encourage and promote the learning and adoption of industry 4.0 related technologies. This agreement also authorizes APU to incorporate and deliver CASUGOL Official Courseware within its academic curriculum.

This partnership is in line with the Malaysian Government’s drive to adopt Industry 4.0 which generally incorporates advanced sensors, machine-to-machine communication links, 3-D printing, robotics, artificial intelligence, big data analytics and cloud computing technology.

We are pleased to share that we are one of the universities selected as part of the Malaysia Software Testing Hub (MSTH) Academic Outreach National Rollout programme, initiated by the Malaysian Software Testing Board (MSTB). Under this programme, we will align our Software Testing and Requirements Engineering subjects under the BSc (Hons) in Software Engineering programmes with industry best practices obtained from the international Book-of-Knowledge. 

To commemorate the occasion, the Malaysian Software Testing Board (MSTB) held a ceremony to present Partnership certificates to the participating universities. Present to witness the event was Datin Paduka Ir. Dr Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir, Director-General, Department of Higher Education. Speaking at the ceremony, President of MSTB Puan Mastura Abu Samah said the programme is expected to contribute towards the development of a sustainable supply of future test professionals to meet the demand of this growing, dynamic industry. During the ceremony, Prof. Dr Ir. Vinesh Thiruchelvam and Mr Muhammad Ehsan Rana were present to receive the award on behalf of APU.

This collaboration enhanced our course syllabus and provided us access to exclusive course materials. For instance, we are provided with Software Testing lecture materials that were developed by the German Testing Board and the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany led by Professor Dr Ina Schieferdecker, who is also the director of Fraunhofer FOKUS. On the other hand, we also gained access to Requirements Engineering lecture materials that was custom-developed by a team led by Professor Dr Klaus Pohl, the renowned global expert in the field. In addition, MSTB also provided with extra Lecture Aids and Additional Hands-On Exercises based on local scenarios to complement the lecture materials. Students under the Software Engineering programme will also be given the opportunities to sit for professional certification examinations.

The MSTH Academic Outreach initiative is also in line with the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education), in creating a higher education system that ranks among the world’s leading education systems and that enables Malaysia to compete in the global economy. In line with the collaboration, we are now thrilled to see our course syllabus being enhanced by professional industry input, in which our students will benefit by being exposed to real-life case scenarios and up-to-date knowledge within the Software Engineering field.