New Sibu University already in the pipeline

Afterschool

September 20, 2012

In tandem with the recent ground-breaking of University College of Technology Sarawak, which is expected to meet the high demand for skilled workers under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score).
The possibility of having a university in Sibu, if everything goes as scheduled, is likely to happen in a year's time.
A survey found that 52% of the jobs created under Score from now until 2030 would require at least semi-skilled workers. By 2030, at least 100,000 more engineers and 500,000 skilled workers would be required in Sarawak.
With that said, more institutions of higher learning as well as skills development would have to be established by then.
The idea of building the university was made during the Sibu by-election in May 2010 when Najib visited Kolej Laila Taib, where he agreed to the college being upgraded to a university.
However, Higher Education Minister Datuk Khaled Nordin advised that a separate licence be applied to set up a university instead since Kolej Laila Taib was already doing well.
A letter of offer to set up the university was subsequently issued last May.
In news releases published in May, Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the first student intake for the new technology university in Sibu would be in September 2013.
It would accept foreign students and for the locals, he said apart from Laila Taib College, the new university would serve as an alternative choice for higher education for them.