A total of 416 graduates from the Limkokwing’s Generasi Baru Programme made their parents and family members proud today when they received their diplomas in a glittering convocation ceremony.

For these students from Felda settlements all over the country - the first batch of the innovative programme—the historic occasion marked a new phase of their lives. Each is now empowered to face the real world, ready to take on challenges and enhance the quality of life in rural areas.

The students completed courses such as animation, broadcasting, creative multimedia, digital & interactive art, digital video, fashion & apparel design, hair design, interior design and packaging design & technology. They received their diplomas before a large turnout of guests, including parents, corporate leaders and senior government officials.

In 2005, the Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, had launched the Creativity and Innovation for Felda’s New Generation Programme at the Limkokwing campus. The programme, popularly known as Generasi Baru and considered to be the university’s contribution to the Ninth Malaysia Plan, is focused on meeting industry needs and bridging the digital divide between rural and urban youths.

It aims to train young minds for high-tech and creative industries, with special emphasis on helping them improve their command of the English language and honing new skills for the 21st century.

At the launch of the programme, Dato’ Seri Najob said, “We decided to place you here in Limkokwing because we believe that this is the right place for you… to make you the innovative and creative thinkers we need for this nation.”

“The challenge is to become part of the national economy, so that one day the children of Felda settlers will be making software programs for multinational corporations, animated movies for Hollywood, or become owners of world-class brand,” he added.

Commitment by University

The university president, Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing, in his speech during the ceremony, thanked Dato’ Seri Najib for the trust he had placed in the university, and the committed support he has extended to the implementation of the Generasi Baru programme.

“We are pleased to have created a new vision capacity-building programme which is firmly anchored on the transformational objectives of Vision 2020 and the inspirational goal of creating new career opportunities that will eradicate economic disparities.”

Tan Sri Dr Lim announced that the university has taken steps to ensure Generasi Baru graduates are further empowered through the several accelerator units the university has established on campus.

“These units are connected with a wide range of creative services - from music design to internet content, from film and television to broadcasting and web-hosting, from packaging to brand-building, and from animation to high-street fashion—to ensure that they have the skills to not only meet industry expectations but surpass industry standards.”

Successful programme

The 2007 graduating Generasi Baru students are without doubt a testament of the programme’s success. All the graduates have undergone a rigorous regime that expanded their minds with new experiences. These pioneering students were gently transformed to avoid a culture shock on city life and gradually to a global environment.

They have had the opportunity to mingle with over 8,000 creative minds from more than 130 countries. The interaction enabled them to understand other cultures and develop a global mindset.

Limkokwing expects the graduates to play an important role in bridging the rural-urban divide through the empowerment of the region’s next generation with 21st- century skills.

Some 1,300 students have so far studied under the Generasi Baru programme and they are set to be part of a new generation of knowledge workers who would take the Federal Land Development Authority to new levels in eradicating poverty and transforming the rural economic landscape.