SYNOPSIS

Telekom Malaysia (TM) is one of the earliest organisations to institutionalise in-house training for its employees from technician to engineer’s level. Established in 1948 by the Telecommunication Department of Malaya in a Government building (Gracelyn) along Ipoh Road, Kuala Lumpur, it was the first Telecom Training School for students from Malaya and Singapore, equipping them with knowledge on a broad range of disciplines and skills from mathematics, physics, telephony to telecommunication principles and practices.In mid 60’s, the School developed into Telecom Training Centre in Gurney Road with the assistance of International Telecom Union/United Nations Development Plan (ITU/UNDP) funds and open to students from foreign telecom organisations mainly from Commonwealth countries.  

In 1993, the Telecom and Information Technology Institute (ITTM) was incepted at Regional Training Centre in Taiping; this became the forerunner to Universiti Telekom (Unitele), established at Regional Training Centre in Melaka as the first specialised private university upon the invitation of the Government for TM to set-up a private institution of higher learning (IPTS) in 1995.  This evolved into Multimedia University (MMU) in 1999 as a successful flagship project under Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) in 1999, with the main purpose of developing human capital for the Information Age and Multimedia Industry.TM has been very farsighted in beginning with the process of vocational training in-house and expanding to engineering training for the industry, thereby assuming the flagship role.

Being the first Government Department to be privatised in 1987, it has long realised that its future does not only depend on financial resources and bottom line, on machines and technological power, but on the productive capacity and efficiency of its people.  It has to summon the best of human resources to cope with globally and technologically driven change, and anticipate basic qualification for technology and desired human capability to empower the workforce.  A new species of technopreneurs – technicians, technologists and engineers – has to be born and TM can provide that facility.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Tan Sri Ir Radzi (74) is a Chartered Professional Engineer with over 40 years’ experience in telecommunication engineering and management fields.  He graduated with a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Faraday House Engineering College, London in 1962, and a Master of Science Degree in Technological Economics from the University of Stirling, Scotland, in 1975.A registered engineer with the Board of Engineers, Malaysia (BEM) and Engineering Council, United Kingdom, he is a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (“MIEM”), the Institution of Engineering and Technology United Kingdom (“MIET”), and Chartered Management Institute, United Kingdom (“MCMI”).Tan Sri Ir Radzi started his career in telecommunications as an Assistant Engineer in 1965 in Telecommunications Department, Government of Malaysia.  He served in various engineering and management capacities for 21 years and retired as Director General of Telecommunications upon corporatisation of the Telecommunications Department on 1st January 1987 and was thereafter appointed Director (Operations) in the successor company, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM”).  He moved on as Director (Marketing & Customer Service) and retired as Director (Regulatory Management and External Affairs) in July 1996. He became an independent Telecom Consultant and was retained as Consultant/Advisor at Multimedia Development Corporation (1997-1999) and was a member of its Board of Directors from May 2005 to May 2011.  He was Chairman of TM and its Group of Companies from July 1999 to July 2009.

Tan Sri Ir Radzi was conferred the Honorary Fellow by the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisation in 2004; Fellow of Institute of Marketing Malaysia, and Fellow of Institute of Directors, Malaysia, in 2007. He was awarded DSPN (Dato) in 1999 and PSM (Tan Sri) in 2002.