From left - right - Jason Lo, Head of School, School of Professional Studies, YB M. Kulasegaran, Minister of Human Resources, and Ms. Josephine Tan, Taylor’s College Campus Director officiating the launch of Taylor’s ACCA & CAT Programmes at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus
Subang Jaya, 12 April 2019 – Taylor’s College launched its Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programmes at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus in a ceremony officiated by the Minister of Human Resources, YB M. Kulasegaran.
The Minister of Human Resources, YB M. Kulasegaran, highlighted on the importance of positively adopting Industry 4.0.
“Industry 4.0 is inevitable as Malaysia head towards a more connected, automated and efficient society. From a Government standpoint, Malaysians should continue to be equipped with new skills, engage with the workforce to be ready and march towards this change – individually and on a corporate level, moving up the value chain so Malaysians remain competitive with on a global scale,” he said.
Taylor’s College Campus Director, Josephine Tan said that it is imperative that education institutions play a part to equip learners with a quality education, including professional qualifications, and extensive skills that are in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) so that they are well able to meet the requirements of employers.
“In the Malaysia Salary Guide 2019 by Kelly Services which was published recently, it was highlighted that a key challenge for employers will be hiring local talents who possess the right skills for the job.”
“This, coupled with the advent of the IR 4.0, institutions of higher learning, like Taylor’s College, need to equip students with human-centered characteristics like critical thinking, people management, emotional intelligence, negotiation, resilience, cognitive flexibility, life-long knowledge production among others. By putting more emphasis on human-centered characteristics, students will be able to better adapt to technological changes upon entry into the workforce,” she said.
In conjunction with the launch, YB M. Kulasegaran also participated in a panel forum with the theme of ‘Revolutionising the Role of Professional Accountants’. The panel discussion centered on key topics surrounding the role of accountants in today’s professional world and equipping students with the necessary skills, especially as we move towards the 4.0 Industrial Revolution.
Baker Tilly Malaysia Partner, Co-Leader Audit & Assurance, Dato’ Lock Peng Kuan said that Industry 4.0 is very real and is what professionals are facing today.
“The main challenge will be adoption as there is a mindset gap and resistance towards automation with a fear of being replaced. However, this isn’t threatening existing jobs but rather complimentary, with AI and robots taking over the jobs most people don’t want to do, which then encourages one to upskill and offer value add services,” he said.
Country Head of BP Malaysia, Ainol Roznain Yaakob spoke on adapting to today’s workplace and said that there’s no surprise that today’s world is changing rapidly as everyone is increasingly relying on technology for speed and efficiency.
“Communication wasn’t as instantaneous as before and in this fast-paced environment, there’s so much more options for students today to gain knowledge. While being well-versed with technology is important, it is also crucial be brilliant at the basics, which involves financial management and accounting, a balance that every organisation needs,” he said.
Transformational Leader & Founder of 6Biz, Dato’ Vimmy Yap shared her personal experience as an accountant and emphasized that technology is essential to improve lives.
“Especially for accountants, they play a very important role in technology adoption as they need to be equipped with the skills to manage risk and finance and help with decision making for corporations. This is why we should take charge of our own learning on our own initiatives in order to be Industry 4.0 future proof,” she said.
YB M. Kulasegaran, Minister of Human Resources pose with Taylorians after the launch ceremony