KUALA LUMPUR – The Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir today reminded graduates to be prepared in every aspect to face the increasingly challenging working environment.
Tuanku Muhriz, who is also the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) chancellor, urged the graduates to prepare themselves physically and mentally as many were being laid off, and even several job opportunities offered did not match their skills and level of education.
“As a fresh graduate, you will not only compete with each other, but you also have to compete with those who have experience, to find employment.
“UKM has taken into account all the latest factors and changes in devising various initiatives to help graduates be better prepared when dealing with future challenges,” he said at the UKM 50th Convocation Ceremony today.
He also said that among the initiatives that need to be emphasised by the graduates are skills in the field of entrepreneurship and knowledge in the field of information technology.
“All UKM graduates and alumni should serve the university, community and the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, UKM vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said a total of 7,961 graduates received their scrolls in the convocation ceremony which started today until Dec 1, at the Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul Razak (DECTAR).
“This convocation ceremony is held with the presence of parents and families in the hall. Previously, only prospective graduates were allowed to be in the hall without being accompanied by their parents or family members,” he said.
He said the convocation ceremony was very meaningful to all UKM staff and graduates because it had produced many quality alumni since its establishment 52 years ago.
“Thus far, UKM has produced a total of 222,197 alumni,” he said
Mohd Ekhwan also said that the convocation ceremony, themed ‘Alumni Emas, Aspirasi Watan’, also witnessed four individuals receiving the Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degrees, namely Tan Sri Dr C.Palaniappan Ramanathan Chettiar, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Datuk Dr Siti Zainon Ismail and Prof Dr Edward Yi Cha. – Bernama
