Polymer Education of Public Universities in Malaysia

Abstract

SummaryGrowth of the Malaysian economy was roughly 6% with an inflation rate of 3.0% and unemployment rate of 2.9% in 2014. The country enjoyed favorable economic growth in recent years. Concurrently, the employment situation of the Malaysian local graduates (skilled personnel) is often heard and discussed. Prime concerns on the employment issues are: (i) Are the graduates equipped with the necessary skills for the job market which is increasingly getting more sophisticated and digitized? (ii) Is their curriculum and training keeping abreast with the demand of the knowledge‐based economy of the global market? (iii) Will they be able to compete in an increasingly technology savvy economy? The Malaysian Rubber Product Companies comprising the production sector, the latex industry (paints and coatings, adhesives, sealants, latex dipped‐goods: rubber gloves, balloons), rubber product manufacturers and plastics converters are the major employers of polymer graduates in Malaysia. We report here the current scenario of polymer education in public universities in Malaysia in meeting up the human resource requirement of the country.