Gerak Usahawan 2008: An Initiative to Promote Entrepreneurship
Skudai, 1st March 2008: Traditionally, entrepreneurship refers to a solely self-funded business, but in today’s environment with all the financial aid and facilities offered by the government, entrepreneurship has expand into very diverse areas of society. The role of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial culture in economic and social development has always been vital important to the state and national economies.
In an effort to reach out and heighten awareness of the significant role of entrepreneurship in, the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development in collaboration with UTM organized ‘Minggu Gerak Siswa’ from 29th February to 2nd March 2008 at Dataran Ko-kurikulum, UTM Skudai.
The 3-day programme was graciously officiated by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, Minister of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development on Saturday, 1st March 2008, in presence of Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Musa bin Hassan, the ministry’s Secretary General, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Prof. Ir. Dr. Alias bin Mohd Noor, UTM Vice-Chancellor (Students Affairs and Alumni), Encik Mohd Khairi bin Malik, Chairman of MPUB Johor Bahru Barat, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Aziz bin Sapian, Nusajaya, Johor parliamentary seat candidate and other distinguished guests.
Addressing its primary objective to stimulate on-going interest among the public, as well as to create a platform for students and young people to embark on entrepreneurship, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled at the opening ceremony said that there are many opportunities available in the form of grants, assistance and loans offered by the ministry and its agencies, for various kinds of businesses. In this regard, he said “a total of RM1.8 has been spent by the government for the past four years to help promote business opportunities and increase business among bumiputra entrepreneurs.
Considering entrepreneurship a career path, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Prof. Ir. Dr. Alias bin Mohd Noor, in his speech urged students explore all the opportunities and get involve in business, in preparation for life after graduation.
A user-friendly manual - Skim Pembiayaan dan Geran untuk Usahawan was launched in conjunction with the ceremony, followd by presentation of mock cheques by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled to all companies that has successfully obtain MeCD financial aid.
The programme has received overwhelming response from the public and campusians since the very first day. Approximately 66 entrepreneurs took part in the programme to market various products, amongst others include foods, healthcare products, batik materials, vehicle spare parts and beauty products.
Public Lecture: Lightning the Misunderstood Natural Phenomenon
Skudai, 27th February: The misconceptions and misunderstanding about lightning are not limited to the general populace but also affecting the professional and semi professionals. These may be due to limited relevant publications and discussion as well as forum on the subject of lightning.
In order to create awareness among the society, a Public Lecture was held at the Sultan Iskandar Hall, UTM entitled ‘Lighting the Misunderstood natural Phenomenon’. The lecture was delivered on the 27th of February by Prof. Dr. Hussein Ahmad, the Director of High Voltage and High Current Institute (IVAT). He is a well known figure in the study of electricity currents and has developed several award winning research products locally and internationally.
This lecture is to address and iron out the misunderstanding about lightning and aligning the public towards correct understanding of lightning natural characteristics rather than just hearsay or suspicion.
The aspects discussed are the frequency of lightning strike of structures on the ground, the hazards of lightning strikes to human being, public properties as well as the animals roaming the earth. It also touches on the basic requirement of lightning protection for building structures, electrical and electronic equipment coupled with installation of lightning discharge detection system.
It was found that most of what IVAT have invented or developed not limited to removing the misconceptions and misunderstanding, can also be sources of alleviating the problems related to lightning.
