The competitive global environment dictates that to take on the corporate world successfully, a person has to be creative, versatile, tech-savvy and industry-ready.

That calls for training that not only equips the student with the right set of skills but also one that imbues them with a positive attitude and an international outlook. Instead of viewing obstacles as threats, they look upon them as challenges and learn to thrive in unpredictable environments.

It is such model graduates that Limkokwing is keen to produce, in line with its commitment to upgrade creative education and contribute to nation-building.

The uniqueness of Limkokwing lies in its concept of integrating tertiary education to professional practices and business development. It’s a feature made possible by the university college’s link to Malaysia Design Technology Centre (MDTC), the region’s foremost creative hub that is designed to propel the creative industries to higher levels. The university college plays the role of research and training arm to MDTC.

For the Limkokwing student, it means the opportunity to work with industry on projects and to participate in regional cultural events, both of which would open their eyes and help expand their horizons.

Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing says: “Interfacing with industry will be strong. There will be an R&D centre in place. Our students will grow faster and learn to cope. We will have more programmes to cater for the creative industries. For instance, Animation with strong Asian conscience in terms of character building and Music Design with a strong slant on Malaysian, African and Middle Eastern flavours. It’s a real fusion of different parts of the world.”

It is all about placing the student in good stead – helping them build their careers or set up enterprise – so eventually when they step out into the real world, they can easily fit in and possibly lead the way.

And if past events are any indication, the creative skills displayed by Limkokwing students show the potential of Malaysian youth. It’s a demonstration of how talented Malaysians could be if only they were to put their minds to it and were allowed the right platform to express themselves.

Tan Sri Lim puts it this way: “Malaysians students are creative. They are multi-cultural and have lots of ideas; they just need the opportunity to develop. For instance, the Malays are good in performing arts but what’s lacking is training. Limkokwing will be able to help them. We intend to introduce new programmes that combine, say, multimedia with music, so you could be a film producer or a music director.”

Some notable events involving Limkokwing students and industry are:

SK-II photography competition

Opened exclusively to Limkokwing students, the event saw them rising to the challenge of shooting SK-II products and coming up with some brilliant pieces of photography. Stefanus Murdhany was named grand prize winner for his work titled SK-II … Completes You.

The entries were selected based on such criteria as creativity, interpretation of theme and consistency with brand character.

Maybelline’s Fairy Pretty spring collection 2003 launch

Limkokwing students show how industry-worthy their work is at the event. They were roped in to design clothes to go with the collection. A group of third year Fashion and Retail Design students had no problem translating their ideas onto the catwalk.

The result: flowing sheer and glittering garments in various pastel hues lit up the evening, eliciting “oohs and ahs” and confirming that Limkokwing students – the fashion gurus of tomorrow - do have what it takes to make a loud statement.

ACCA’s anniversary

The job is to capture for ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) pictures the organisation could use in its marketing and promotional materials. And why not get photography students involve and allow them the opportunity to shine while learning?

Limkokwing students who participate will ultimately get to use their work for ACCA in their resume.