WE refer to the comments made by the speaker from the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) during a forum on the 2022 national education and learning summit held on March 31 (Fresh grads lack passion to progress in career, forum told, Free Malaysia Today, March 31, 2022).

According to the speaker, many fresh Malaysian graduates lack passion and the ‘right’ attitude, hence have problems adjusting to the workplace. In this regard, he was supported by the speaker from the Malaysian Bar.

This is an old debate that has been going on between professional associations and universities. The basic contention by the professionals is that universities do not prepare students well enough for the workplace.

These general views of the graduates are often accepted as true. After all, these associations are the employers and when they speak, it is as if the industry is speaking.

We feel that these persistent allegations and condescension must not go unanswered, although we recognise what is reported may not be the whole of what was said at the forum.

First, graduate engineers are only entitled to be registered as professional engineers upon obtaining “such practical experience as may be determined by the BEM”.

From the BEM’s website, it appears that to be registered as a professional engineer, a graduate engineer must show practical experience of at least three years under the supervision of a professional engineer in the same branch of engineering.

In addition, the applicant must also show proof of having attended professional development programmes.

Surely, with these additional pre-registration inputs, the BEM has the means to correct the deficiencies mentioned at the forum.

If they persist even after three years of practical experience with a registered professional engineer, the fault may not be in the new registrant alone but something that affects the whole profession.

Second, under the current accreditation procedures as provided in section 51 of Malaysian Qualification Agency Act 2007, associations like the BEM dominate the procedure, dictating which courses are acceptable for admission to the profession.

The professional body therefore determines the qualification and the post-qualification experience for registration.

With such control over their profession, surely the BEM must take some responsibility for the shortcomings in the beginner, and indeed owe a duty to them to cure them of their shortcomings?

Third, we are concerned that such serious opinions of new entrants into the profession coming from the engineering profession are not supported by evidence of how those opinions were formed.

In this regard also, we would like to stress that academic and higher education owners’ associations have a greater responsibility than just joining in the chorus of admonition initiated by professional bodies.

They claim to provide an education that is fit for purpose. The advertisements of their qualifications proclaim employability on billboards across the country.

Hence, they must do more than just make bland statements about the matter. There are statistics within their reach that will show the employability of their graduates. Why do they not reveal that information?

Our intention is not to point fingers at others on a matter that is important to us all as stakeholders in Malaysian higher education. There is too much of that fruitless finger pointing happening already.

What we would suggest is that – rather than making these random statements – professional bodies and academic associations should move the issues forward by creating a forum that will include universities and the Ministry of Education to discuss these important issues.

Gerak is willing to initiate such a forum. – April 5, 2022.

* Press statement by Gerak.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.