The Ministry of Defence has proposed the setting up of the faculty of defence industry at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campuses nationwide to increase skilled workforce in the defence industry.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the proposal, which was well received by the Higher Education Ministry, was tabled at the Malaysian Industry Council for Defence, Enforcement and Security (Mides) meeting here Monday.
He said the growth of the local defence industry was hampered by lack of skilled manpower.
UiTM was chosen based on its credibility and capacity as it strives to enrol 200,000 students in the future, he told reporters after chairing the meeting here.
Ahmad Zahid said defence courses offered by the faculty would be academic and practical in nature which skewed towards maintenance and overhaul of the naval shipbuilding and army equipment.
The meeting was attended by 27 representatives from government agencies and 38 from local defence companies in the Working Group on Weapons and the Common Use Working Group.
-- BERNAMA
