UK supports Malaysian Youth STEM Ambassadors, inspires next generation of STEM leaders
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-09)

The UK-Malaysia STEM Education Showcase was officially launched today to promote interest in STEM subjects among school children, and to support the development of STEM education in Malaysia.

The initiative includes a Train-the-Trainer programme for 122 Malaysian Youth STEM Ambassadors from local universities, a school tour by an interactive STEM mobile lab and a high-level STEM Policy Roundtable.

This Showcase is organised by the British High Commission in partnership with Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, National STEM Learning Centre UK, Universiti Malaya STEM Centre and supported by the Ministry of Education. It brings together key stakeholders from the UK and Malaysia.

At the launch event, David Wallace, Acting British High Commissioner to Malaysia said:

The UK and Malaysia share a strong education partnership, built on our common ambition to unleash our people’s talent, including in STEM. Scientists, engineers, and technologists are at the forefront of our countries’ innovation and growth. The UK-Malaysia STEM Education Showcase is a fantastic example of the UK sharing expertise on STEM education and supporting Malaysia’s ambition in STEM education to meet future industry demands and deepen our bilateral ties.

Zainal bin Abas, Deputy Director General of Education, School Operational Sector, Ministry of Education said:

We welcome the British High Commission’s initiative to inspire and empower Malaysia’s youth in STEM through the UK-Malaysia STEM Education Showcase. The program is in line with the aspiration of the ministry to reform education with STEM being an important aspect of its focus. Furthermore, this program will strengthen partnership and collaboration with the UK Government with regards to best practices and strategies to improve STEM education.

Alex Leadley, Skills Academy Manager at CSA Catapult said:

We’re absolutely delighted to support the UK-Malaysia STEM Education Showcase and help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers in Malaysia. We have a global skills shortage that can only be met with cross-border collaboration and co-operation so that we can all benefit from future technologies and breakthroughs. This project is one of a number of projects we’re leading on to strengthen links between the UK and Malaysia to help develop future technologies and the workforce to take them forward.

The Showcase featured a policy roundtable attended by representatives from government agencies, the industry and academia to discuss how industry and schools can collaborate more effectively to enhance STEM education and bridge the gap between education and the workforce. They also explored ways to enhance STEM Learning and explore effective methods to ignite interest among school children.

The interactive STEM mobile lab will be visiting a total of 8 primary schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor over the next two weeks. This will give students in participating schools an opportunity to have hands-on experience learning more about STEM related fields like Semiconductors, robotics and artificial intelligence, inspiring the next generation of scientists and growing Malaysia’s skilled talent pool.

The UK-Malaysia STEM Education Showcase will also be open to the public at the Tech Dome in Penang from 7 to 17 January 2025.