Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM) Kuantan, a vocational college under the supervision of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), a government agency under the Ministry of Rural Development aimed to train the indigenous Malays in the areas of business and industry, was visited by the APACC team on November 13-15, 2018.
APACC Poster of KKTM Kuantan Onsite visit
The institution, which is located in the city of Kuantan, State of Pahang, East Malaysia, was one of the 343 educational centers under MARA in the country and a premier institution that centers on Kuantan’s economic niche area, which is manufacturing.
The APACC team for this visit was composed of Dr. Paiboon Saiyawongs, the Team Leader and currently the APACC Special Officer for the Kingdom of Thailand; Mr. Tek Bahadur Malla, the Team Member and Director of the Council of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (CTEVT), Nepal; and Mr. Rae Emmanuel Echaveria, the APACC Support Staff and the Research, Publications and Information Officer.
They were welcomed by the KKTM Kuantan officials led by Tn. Mohd Hazlen bin Ramli, the Acting Director and Deputy Director of Academic Affairs and Pn. Roziah binti Osman, Deputy Director of Services and Student Affairs. They were supported by notable officials from the MARA HQ namely Mr. Azmin Bin Ariffin, Deputy Director I, Education of TVET MARA; Mr. Mohd Nizam Bin Ali, Deputy Director II, Strategic Planning & Research of TVET MARA and Mr. Jaafar Sidek bin Mohd Ani, Assistant Director for information and Research, Vocational and Technical Division, MARA.
The accreditors in action: reviewing some of the documents presented by the APACC criterion groups
The APACC Accreditors observing the Master Plan of KKTM
The three day activity focused on reviewing the self-study report of the institution with actual observations and visits in its facilities and operations. The institution was also assessed on the following APACC Accreditation Criteria: (1) Governance and Management, (2) Teaching and Learning, (3) Human Resources, (4) Research and Development, (5) Image and Sustainability, (6) Other Resources, and (7) Support to Students.
Established in 2007, KKTM Kuantan formally started its operations in 2008 and was spread in a land area of 100 acres. It currently offers Diplomas in Manufacturing Engineering in five areas namely: Automotive Manufacturing, Manufacturing Design, Industrial Automation and Robotics, Technology and Process and Quality and Productivity. Their vision is “to be an outstanding and trustworthy organization in upholding a nation’s pride” and their mission is to “shape a holistic TVET human capital with entrepreneurial values”. A total of 773 students were enrolled for this academic year, with 83 teaching and 101 non-teaching staff currently at the employ of the institution.
The APACC accreditors visiting some of the high-technology equipment in KKTM’s manufacturing laboratories.
