Johor Port Berhad (Johor Port), a member of MMC Group, donated another RM2 million to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), for its Endowment Fund in a handover ceremony held during the UTM Royal Dinner at Persada Johor Bahru recently.
The donation cheque was handed over by Md Derick bin Basir, Chief Executive Officer of Johor Port to Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr Ahmad Fauzi bin Ismail, Vice Chancellor of UTM, witnessed by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah Binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, Permaisuri Johor who is also the Chancellor of UTM and Her Highness Che Puan Besar Khaleeda binti Bustamam, wife of the Regent of Johor who is also the Pro-Chancellor of UTM.
The handover was also witnessed by Tan Sri Dr Salleh bin Mohd Nor, Pro-Chancellor of UTM and Prof. Dato’ Dr Husaini bin Omar, Director General of Higher Education (KPPT), Ministry of Higher Education.
In 2013, Johor Port and UTM inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for Johor Port’s contribution of RM5 million over a period of five years. Johor Port has since extended the Agreement, from 2019 to 2021, by pledging an additional RM3 million to the Endowment Fund.
This year, Johor Port has agreed to allocate an additional RM2 million over a period of four years.
The establishment of the UTM Endowment Fund aims to help fund the studies of UTM students who excel in academics, especially those from underprivileged families.
“Our continuous contribution to the UTM Endowment Fund will help these students to acquire knowledge and therefore indirectly help the nation to produce high-performance young talents. As a high-performance organisation, we believe that high-performance talents are crucial in driving organisational success. In this regard, we are also happy to play a role in empowering university students through our contributions to the UTM Endowment Fund,” said Md Derick Basir, Chief Executive Officer of Johor Port Berhad.
Johor Port has recently collaborated with UTM to launch the world’s first Professional Master in Port Management through the JP Skills Centre.
The modern course module is intended to improve the fundamentals and operational knowledge of port professionals not only in Malaysia but also internationally. It also aims to strengthen talent management and development within port communities by sharing knowledge and expertise in port management.
As an integrated multi-purpose port facility in the Southern region, Johor Port is not only the catalyst for the various commodities, manufacturing, and Oil & Gas industries but also a caring organisation in contributing to the development of a knowledgeable community.
