PSS Strikes Key Industry Deals

28 September 2025

SANDAKAN: Politeknik Sandakan Sabah (PSS) made history by signing seven strategic cooperation agreements with leading industry partners, marking a major step towards strengthening the quality of education and enhancing the employability of technical graduates in Sabah.

The signing ceremony for the Letters of Intent (LoI) and Notes of Cooperation (NoC) was held at the Main Lecture Hall of PSS.

In his officiating speech, PSS Director, Mohd Sahran @ Awang Mohidin, emphasised the importance of building synergy between Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and the industrial sector. He said the partnerships demonstrated PSS’s commitment to keeping pace with the needs of the job market and bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications.

“As the saying goes, ‘Alone we are but a drop of water, together we are an ocean.’ This synergy will produce graduates who are not only skilled but also ready to drive innovation within their respective sectors,” he stressed.

The seven organisations involved in the collaboration span critical sectors, reflecting PSS’s commitment to diversifying its training programmes. Among the partners are the Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (AquaTrop) of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, the Industrial Training Institute Sandakan, the Sabah Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Sabah Creative Economy & Innovation Centre, Mark Aquaculture, Tagal Luanti, and the Sabah Ornamental and Freshwater Fish Club.

Through these agreements, the polytechnic and its partners will work closely to enhance graduate employability by providing students with exposure and work experience relevant to industry demands.

The collaborations will also focus on capacity development, particularly by strengthening lecturers’ expertise through industry attachments and specialised training workshops. In addition, the partnerships aim to foster innovation in TVET, with projects exploring creative entrepreneurship and advanced aquaculture technologies.

The ceremony was attended by PSS lecturers and key representatives from the industry. PSS expressed optimism that this strategic move will further establish the institution as a leading TVET hub, contributing directly to the economic growth of Sabah and Malaysia.