Students get sponsorships for industry certifications.

The students posing for a group picture with their lectures, including Professor Lee Poh Aun (eighth from left)

Thirteen Monash University Malaysia recently received sponsorships for taking up professional certification programmes to complement their IT studies at the university.

The money included partial reimbursements to foreign and local students who had paid upfront to take up the SAP Development Consultant Certification (ABAP) and Sun Java Certified Programmer training courses that are conducted externally.

The Malaysian students who took up the course were also reimbursed by the Multimedia Development Corporation as part of efforts to increase the number of certified  IT professionals in the country.

“People holding such certifications are in high demand,” said School of Information Technology head Professor Lee Poh Aun.

He said Monash University students who complete the course will get a balanced education that includes a reputable academic qualification and certification of competence from the industry.

“Many students only take up these certification programmes after they graduate, but this effort will ensure that they go into the workforce with valuable additional skills in specific areas of work,” said Professor Lee.

The 13 students included 11 who had taken up the SAP Development Consultant Certification and two who took up the Sun Java Certified Programmer course.

During the event, the school also presented prize money to two students who emerged as champions in the Comp-IT ’06 Speed Programming Competition

organised by Universiti Teknologi Petronas in August last year.

The two students, Ms Agustina Sanusi and Mr Alberto Gosal received RM1,500 each and certificates.