The Ship’s unique campus model set to boost training at Batu Kawan Industrial Park

By LIEW JIA XIAN – March 9, 2022

A version of this article was first published on The Star

GEORGE TOWN: The Ship campus, located in Batu Kawan Industrial Park (BKIP), Penang, is set to sail by training talents for the industrial park on its grounds in a unique campus-in-industry model.

PKT Logistics Group chief executive officer and managing director Datuk Seri Michael Tio said The Ship campus is built to support BKIP’s growth with several state and national agendas in mind.

“It includes enhancing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), boosting youth employment and talent development.

“The Ship campus is believed to be the first campus where we train talents for the industry in an industrial park.

“Having top-notch hardware is only the first step, the next is to build a robust ecosystem to help create synergies among all stakeholders – students, businesses, government and community leaders.

“The campus-in-industry model exposes students to real working environments while they study.

“This is the key to bridging the gap between theory and practical, giving students a practical education to stand out in a competitive job market,” he said during the official launching of the The Ship campus on Tuesday (May 24).

Built at a cost of RM160mil, the 306,419sq ft nautical-themed building aims to become a hub for talent development and entrepreneurship, while at the same time providing food and beverage as well as lifestyle facilities in the rapidly-developing BKIP.

“The campus is fitted with a variety of state-of-the-art facilities to provide students, tenants and the BKIP community at large with an exciting space for education, business, TVET upskilling, events and leisure activities.

“Boasting a capacity of 4,000 students across its nine decks, PKT’s education arm Peninsula College Malaysia is now headquartered here while maintaining two satellite campuses in the Klang Valley,” Tio said.

During the ceremony, Yayasan PKT gave out scholarships worth around RM2mil in total to outstanding local students to study in Peninsula College as well as local polytechnics.

Yayasan PKT also pledged to contribute RM1mil to the state government for its plans to establish an education fund to nurture young Penangites.

The ceremony was witnessed by Penang Governor Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, who described The Ship campus as an impressive, iconic building with a unique design.

“I am confident that this campus will play an important role in the educational and economic development of Penang, particularly in the field of logistics,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy noted that in the last two years, the business community had suffered a great deal from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“While many halted their expansion plans, PKT Logistics Group decided to brave the storm and invested RM160mil to construct The Ship campus.

“Penang is seeing a continuous flow of investment from medical device companies, including players in disposable and electronics-based products.

“BKIP itself houses over 160 companies, a mix of multinational corporations and large local companies.

“As factories and plants are being built, it is evident that the industry is hungry for talent.

“The addition of The Ship campus as a talent hub to the Batu Kawan community is a boon for business, as well as the emerging townships surrounding the area.

“The state government is delighted to welcome The Ship campus as an ally from the private sector and aligning its aspirations to enhance Penang’s TVET efforts and accelerate the industry’s IR 4.0 adoption rate,” he said.