Page 12 - Berita Sunway - Issue 71

Features

EDUCATION

OF F

THE Coding school 42KL is
trailblazing innovation
U in the edutech sector by

revolutionising the way
Malaysians learn to
T best prepare them for

‘new-collar’ jobs.

Online shopping, e-learning, and remote working are
among the ‘new normal’ practices that have boomed U “The world is moving rapidly towards
this year, as governments worldwide enforced social open-source frameworks and ever-evolving
distancing through lockdowns in a bid to curb the programming languages hence IT professionals
COVID-19 pandemic. need to re-skill themselves on the right
platforms. We still lack experts in different
With businesses and services going online, interest in R stacks, embedded systems, and hardware or
Industry 4.0 technological innovations – the Internet software designers. There is a need to identify
of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine the skills gaps within each enterprise and to
learning, and big data analytics – has intensified, as well pursue training and development programmes
as the critical need for digital skills, if one is to survive to address these disparities. The government
and thrive in a digital economy. E also needs to modernise the education system,
with a stronger focus on science, technology,
While Malaysians have the right skill sets in the engineering, and mathematics (STEM),” said
electronics sector, they lack skills in niche IT sectors such Sandhu.
as those related to Industry 4.0, said Jeff Sandhu, head of
FutureX Talent at Sunway iLabs.
1 Bridging the skills gap Without the instruction of teachers, 42KL students must

proactively seek for answers and help each other to complete
learning means students must resolve real-world problems
ccording to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future a variety of projects and challenges every day. Peer-to-peer
of Jobs Report 2020 launched in October last year, without having spoon-fed information, which helps develop
A skill gaps continue to be high. Greater adoption of new a resilient mindset with critical thinking and problem-solving
technology will mean that half of the global workforce will need skills, said Sandhu, who oversees operations at 42KL.
to reskill in the next five years to stay relevant, because the skills
needed for jobs are set to change by 2025. “We believe there is no better time to launch 42KL and spearhead
Malaysia’s edutech sector. We are now forced to accelerate our
While critical thinking and problem-solving have consistently digital needs due to the pandemic, as many now realise that we
ranked as the most critical skills listed by employers since the first have to move forward quickly to survive,” Sandhu said.
WEF report in 2016, the pandemic has also created a demand for
skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress “Beyond just having the technical skills to be a full-stack engineer,
tolerance and flexibility. web developer, AI specialist or cybersecurity programmer, 42KL
empowers all our students with the required soft skills in today’s
Addressing the skills gap in the digital economy through a digital world. The top 10 skills required by employers in the
unique educational model is 42KL, a non-profit, tuition- WEF survey are deeply embedded within our learning process at
free computer programming school with a peer-to-peer 42KL as students take charge of how they choose to learn, who
learning environment. Located in Sunway City Kuala they learn with and what they learn. We at 42KL are only here
Lumpur, 42KL employs a project-based, gamified learning to provide them the foundation they need to foster this spirit of
approach designed to develop the skills needed to jumpstart learning,” he added.
a tech career.
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