by NUR HAZIQAH A MALEK / pic credit: mdec.my

THE Education Ministry (MoE) and the Malaysian Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) will work with industry partners to expand the Digital Maker Hubs to 188 spaces nationwide by the end of 2021.

MDEC digital skills and jobs head Dr Sumitra Nair said despite the pandemic posing challenges in education and talent development, MDEC remains committed to working with its partners to equip young learners to be future-ready.

“Organisations that support the establishment of Digital Maker Hubs will be providing much-needed assistance to young talents, equipping them with critical skills needed to advance the digital economy.

“MDEC is creating possibilities and opportunities with technology, eventually bridging the digital divide,” she said in a statement yesterday.

The partnership followed efforts to establish Digital Maker Hubs in 24 schools in 2020, spaces for learning and practising digital creativity and innovation, or spaces equipped with digital maker facilities and courses, so that students can create and invent projects and learn new things using a variety of digital making tools and materials.

Educational Television of Malaysia director Maznah Abu Bakar said the MoE has seen promising results from the Digital Maker Hubs via MDEC’s early efforts, specifically in strengthening digital creativity and innovation among students.

“We are keen to replicate this model in other schools and look forward to more industry players and government agencies coming on board to provide tools.

“MDEC’s initiatives such as this one are aimed at creating a future-ready workforce by equipping them with digital skills required to meet the demands of digital jobs,” she said.

The availability of such spaces is seen as the key to nurturing the younger generation for future jobs.

According to the World Economic Forum in its 2020 Future of Jobs Report, it is estimated that 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation by 2025, yet 97 million new jobs will be created within the same time frame, mostly in roles that require data and digital tech skills.

The first Digital Maker Hub was implemented in 2018, under the #mydigitalmaker Movement, which is a joint public-private-academia initiative to introduce and nurture digital competencies among Malaysian students.

Besides equipping 24 schools with Digital Maker Hub, MDEC has also worked with various NGOs, state governments, universities and enterprises to establish 67 Digital Maker Hubs outside the schools, totalling 90.

The MoE and MDEC are also looking for sponsors from corporates and industry players to support schools and community places that have been earmarked for the establishment of Digital Maker Hubs.