The rise up the value chain for Malaysia'sE&E industry has been nothing short ofmeteoric. Starting as a labour-intensiveindustry in the early 1970s, it has evolvedinto a major base for the globale l e c t ronics industry and significantcontributor to the country’s exports andemployment.

However, a key obstacle impeding thegrowth of the sector continues to be thea l a rming shortage of qualified andtrained talent. Although the industry reliesheavily on a steady flow of highly skilledm a n p o w e r, Malaysia's current tally ofapproximately 80,000 engineers paints agrim picture when contrasted against theG o v e rnment's target of 250,000engineers by 2020.

Among the factors contributing to thisgrey image are the ‘brain drain’ problem

Career prospectsshine bright inMalaysia’s E&Eindustry

and the misconceptions such as theunavailability of career prospects andopportunities in the industry. The numberof skilled Malaysians living abroad hastripled in the last two decades, with twoout of every 10 Malaysians with tertiaryeducation opting to leave for Singaporeor countries under the Organisation forEconomic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD).

O ve rcoming Public Misconceptions

“When you talk about the E&E industry inMalaysia, I think a lot of people still thinkof the old days, when jobs were mostlyoperator and technician basedpositions,” said Catherine Fitzsimmons,the Director of Human Resources for theAsia Pacific offices of integrated circuit(IC) manufacturers Altera Corporation.“As far as the public is concerned, theE&E industry may not appear to be ascreative as it today. I don't think peoplerealise that there's a lot more advanceR&D activities in the E&E sector which int u rn can lead to exciting care e ropportunities.”

Dr Mohd Nor Azmi Alias, the Chief of Staffof the Penang Design Centre of MotorolaSolutions agreed. “Yes, Malaysia's E&E

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Who says meetings are boring?

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sector had its start in manufacturing. Butin the process of making a name for itselfinternationally, the sector learned veryquickly to adapt to the ever-changingrequirements of the market,” he said. “Soin terms of the knowledge, themanufacturing know-how, and theunderstanding of the E&E value chainand products, I think we do have thosestructures in place.” He also emphasisedthat government bodies and industryplayers must work together to develop acomprehensive action plan that wouldnot only dispel out-dated beliefs but alsodraw fresh talent into the industry.

Revitalising the Domestic Talent Pool

Another issue the Malaysian E&E sectorhas to contend with is the domestichuman capital base, which curre n t l ydoes not adequately meet marketdemand.

“The difficulty is in finding enough talentcapable of satisfying the demands ingrowth of the industry. Of course, there issome guilt over hiring from our'neighbours', but we don't really have achoice.The domestic pool ofexperienced engineers just isn't bigenough to accommodate industrydemand,” said Catherine.

Consequently, Malaysia's E&E sectortakes talent development very seriously,making significant investments in itsexisting as well as prospective humancapital pools. A good example of this isthe FasTrack programme, a 12-monthapprenticeship programme targeted atengineering graduates which wasdeveloped by Talent CorporationMalaysia Berhad's (TalentCorp) E&ESectoral Working Group (NorthernRegion) in collaboration with leading E&Ecompanies in Malaysia and the PenangSkills Development Centre (PSDC). Thep rogramme places an emphasis onnurturing local talent and aims to trainquality research and development (R&D)engineers within a shorter timespan.

E&E as a Viable Career Path

In today’s age of globalisation andinnovation, room for career progressionhas become one of the most importantattributes that graduates andprofessionals look for in a job. What manyare unaware of is that with its fast-paced,technologically-driven environment andmultiple links to reputable companiesaround the world, Malaysia's E&E sector iswell-placed to offer jobseekers preciselythat.

Munawir bin Ab Ghani, the Vice Presidentof Human Resources for semiconductorand wafer manufacturer Silterra Malaysiacouldn't agree more . “ S i l t e r r amanufactures IC drivers for companieslike Nokia, LG, and Optimus Technology.We also own about 25 percent marketshare of the world's IC driver industry, sothere's a 25 percent chance that theNokia phone you own was made withparts manufactured by us,” he said.“These are the kind of incentives thatgraduates are drawn to, because theyare constantly looking for opportunities tobe part of projects that are truly cutting-edge.”

Graduates who are keen to enter theindustry can look forward to employmentin a highly diverse group of sub-sectorssuch as consumer electronics, electricalp roducts, and electrical components.However, the rapidly expanding and fluidenvironment of the E&E industry meansthat graduates can no longer rely solelyon their qualifications to succeed in theE&E job market.

“Rather than merely accepting what istold to them because they are fresh outof school, graduates should be able tolook at problems from different anglesand be able to articulate their ideas andsolutions to their work teams or manager,”said Catherine. “They should also knowthat when it comes to problem solving,having an answer is sometimes not asimportant as being able to have multipleways to address the problem.”

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The E&E Sector is one of 12 key growth areas defined in theNational Key Economic Areas (NKEA) in increasing the Gross

National Income (GNI) by 2020.

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2020 GNI Impact: US$16.9BJobs: 157,000

Public Funding: US$3.7BPrivate Funding: US$20.6B

Invest your Career inMalaysia’s Silicon Valley

Did you know? About 50%-75% of E&E sector employees are Gen-Y!

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Major cluster areas have been identified as, but not limited to;S e m i c o n , S o l a r, LEDs and I n d u s t rial Electronics to fuel the E&E sector

g r owth through high value added R&D, l o gistic and operat i o n a lh e a d q u a rter activities to be distributed in 4 re gi o n s.

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4 Major ClustersSemicon: Build out value chain capabilities with fabs, design and advanced packagingSolar: World’s #2 producer by 2020 (from #3 in 2011)LEDs: Light up the world with Solid State LightingIndustrial Electronics: Build on test & measurement and wireless communication clusters;expand and strengthen other Industrial Electronics sub-segments

4 Key RegionsBuild regional E&E clusters in Northern Corridor, Klang Valley, Johor and Sarawak,leveraging on each region’s unique value propositions.

P rogramming and electronics werechildhood passions for Lam Gar Haw.Today, these passions have turned into alife-changing career for Gar Haw.

Gar Haw graduated from University ofBirmingham and immediately started hisc a reer as an IC Design Engineer inImagination Technologies just outsideLondon.

Despite a burgeoning career designingIC for smartphones and 3D TVs, Gar Hawmissed his family and headed home tobe near them.

Agilent Technologies Penang snappedup this talented engineer and the last 7years have been an intere s t i n gro l l e rcoaster ride for Gar Haw inbalancing work priorities and family.

“I’m a R&D Program Manager incharge of leading a team of projectmanagers who are individually tasked tocomplete cutting-edge instrumentdesign projects,” Gar Haw explained.

Most Awesome Project:“Two years ago, I was asked bymanagement to lead a very important

R&D life science project which aimed todesign a polymerase chain re a c t i o nmachine (PCR) to duplicate and multiplyDNA,” Gar Haw explained.

It was the very first life science R&Dproject in Agilent Penang’s history andthe very first PCR machine to be fullydesigned by Malaysians!

“We were honoured but worried as wehad no prior experience,” this verypositive-thinking engineer recalled. “Noone in the team knew about life science.All of us were from electronics andmechanical backgrounds. It was a verytough one year and we had to work withbiologists from US.”

The project was a success!

“Now, we will never doubt ourknowledge and abilities! When the next‘first-time ever project’ comes around,we’ll put on our ‘can do mentality’ andtackle the project.”

Why engineering turns me on?“I love designing products,” Gar Hawenthused. “Nothing beats coming upwith a brand new product incorporatingour innovation and seeing how it impactsthe society in a great way.

“A great example is the PCR machine.This machine is used for cancer and DNAresearch and many more applicationsthat can advance the science of humanlife. I’m so proud we played such animportant role in improving the health ofmankind.

“I believe I am on the right path and I willnever tire of doing more of this stuff!”

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?“We are never able to hire enough goodengineers to do product development,”this father of two young kids shared. “Ibelieve there’s great potential working inAsia because foreign companies arerushing here to invest for growth. Asia isnow the new growth engine for the worldeconomy.”

Name : Lam Gar HawAge : 32Qualification : Electronics EngineeringCompany : Agilent Technologies

Coming home to designground-breakingmedical instruments forcancer research

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KL-bred Ignatius Edmond Anthony is aSenior Design Engineer at Intel PenangDesign Centre and has been there foralmost 7 years. Admittedly it is a pressurecooker but Ignatius revels in being thebest, as only the best survives! “I amresponsible for the RTL development andsynthesis block design for Intel’s nextgeneration micro p ro c e s s o r,” Ignatiusshared. “The product is highly technicalas I do coding of new features for circuitlevel implementation based on high-levelarchitectural specifications. “I also ownthe circuit design of multiple synthesisblocks in the chip, ensuring the circuitsmeet very stringent perf o rmance andpower goals within equally stringent andtight project schedules.”

Most Awesome Project:“The most awesome project I haveworked is always the latest pro j e c t , ”Ignatius exclaimed. “At Intel, we areconstantly on the cutting edge of siliconinnovation be it in process technology ora rchitectural advances. Each newproject I’ve worked on has always beenmore interesting than the previous one.”With each completed project, Ignatius ishanded more responsibilities which giveshim confidence and pride in the work hehas done. He added the satisfactioncomes from solving complex challengesand problems.

At the cutting edge ofsilicon innovation

“I get a kick out of seeing themicroprocessor products I’ve worked onbeing sold to millions, knowing that partsof the logic and circuits that make it workw e re designed by me,” this youngengineer added. “The challenge is tokeep up the knowledge and skills or beobsolete!”

Why engineering turns me on?Ignatius explained many do not see anE&E engineer has the sexiest job but hecertainly thinks it is sexy “to be able to fitseveral billion transistors that all work on achip the size of a fingernail.”

“C’mon – smaller is cooler, right?” Ignatiuschallenged. “The E&E sector is fast movingand ever changing,” said Ignatius. “Newtechnologies and innovations a re beingdiscovered around the clock.

“Change is the only constant in thisindustry. I have learned to always beflexible, open to new ideas, and neverget too comfortable. Always push thelimits. Question status quo. Just becausewhat you think is impossible today, will beaccomplished by someone tomorrow (orworse, already done yesterday)!”

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?His advice to all E&E techies who want towork in Malaysia is “to explore differentfields to find their niche, continue tos t rengthen their skills, fundamentaltheories and engage with engineersalready in the industry.”

“These kids must arm themselves withindustry-relevant knowledge and that willput them in front of the pack,” Ignatiusconcluded.

Name : Ignatius Edmond AnthonyAge : 29Qualification : Computer and Microelectronics

Systems EngineeringCompany : Intel Corporation

Penangite Angela Chung has been withMotorola for almost 10 years. It has beena decade of many personal and teamtriumphs, with some trials, supported by acompany that encourages diversity;builds spirit of teamwork and community;and provides an open setting forcollaboration with world-class engineerson gro u n d - b reaking communicationprojects.

Most Awesome Project:“The most awesome project I’ve workedon is Cap+ (Capacity Plus) feature in 2-way radios which is the first single sitetrunking system based on internationalstandards to be introduced to the worldby Motorola,” Angela recalled. “It is a lowcost trunking solution which does notrequire any costly site controllers and hasdirectly impacted 2-way radios businessfor Motorola.”

Why engineering turns me on?“There are lots of opportunities for me tolearn new technologies and expand myknowledge in telecommunication,”Angela revealed. “I get to put in practice

Thriving in a supportiveenvironment designingnewer and lighter twoway radios

my problem solving skills and am alwayschallenged to think for innovative ideasto introduce new features for the two-way radio.”

Engineering certainly rocks for Angela asshe has filed 8 patents plus 1 disclosure inthe process of filing.

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?M o t o rola Solutions’ R&D Centre inPenang, which celebrates its 35 years ofexcellence in R&D in Malaysia in 2011, isone of Motorola Solutions’ six primaryR&D centres in the world. Motoro l aPenang is the first two-way radio designcentre in Malaysia that provides end-to-end solutions for two-way radioscommunication in the world.

This means Angela gets to work with thebest engineers from within Motoro l aPenang as well as those from USA andChengdu, China.

“I definitely feel that I belong here , ”Angela said, adding the Motorolans chillout by taking part in their own Olympiad,going out for dinners or just hanging out inthe game room.

Besides feeling right at home while in theo ffice, Angela shared that Motoro l aprovides many avenues for engineers togrow their careers. Professionally, there isthe annual Technical Symposium whereengineers present and share theirinnovative ideas, acknowledgeachievements and celebrate successes.

Success, however, does not make theteam rest on their laurels,” Angelaadded. “Innovation is a continuousj o u rney so we are always impro v i n gefficiency, productivity and quality. Anexample would be through automationwhich frees up our engineers’ time andallows them to focus on more value-added work for the next big thing.”

“For me, working in such high tech designcentre and being able to create a newsystem that benefits the users give me thebiggest job satisfaction,” Angela said,“and that is the main reason I stay inMalaysia to build my engineeringcareer.”

Name : Angela ChungAge : 34Qualification : Electrical and Electronics

EngineeringCompany : Motorola Solutions

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The lure to stay on and work alongsidehighly-skilled engineers in Germ a n ywhere he graduated must have beenstrong, yet, Kelantan-born Faiz returnedto Malaysia to do his bit for the nation!

Most Awesome Project:“My awesome project is the current oneI’m working on which is to establish theprocess for an upcoming product,” Faiz,a process engineer said.

“As the product features new design andmaterials, it is a challenge for me tooptimize the process for the best results. Itis also the first of its kind which means thep roduction line must be set up fro mscratch.”

Faiz admits it is hard work but “if I achievethe objective, it will give me personalsatisfaction as well as benefit myp rofessional growth in my specializedarea of work.”

Faiz keen to putMalaysia on map ofknowledge-basedeconomies

Why engineering turns me on?Faiz was inspired by his father, a civil andstructure engineer who was involved inbuilding some of Malaysian's iconiclandmarks such as the Petronas Tw i nTowers. “His expertise, coupled with myown curiosity to know how things work,influenced my decision to further mystudies in engineering field,” Faiz recalled.

The path to qualify as an engineer was noeasy ride for Faiz. He spent a year at theG e rman Malaysian Institute to doIndustrial Training before proceeding toan 8-month course in Dortmund,Germany. After a strenuous 6 years atAachen University of Applied Science,Faiz completed his degree inMechatronics Engineering.

“I started as an intern in OSRAM before Ibecame a full-fledged employee,” Faizrecalled, saying he has long set his sightson Penang where there are manyGerman companies. “I knew I could kick-start my career here having studied andlived in Germany for 6 years.”

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?“There’s no place like home,” replied Faiz.Adding that he still keeps in touch with hisG e rman counterparts through e-mail,c o r respondence and visits betweenoffices.

“My job is a part of a collective effort toensure OSRAM OS maintains its capabilityto produce high quality and reliable LEDsas lighting devices. This is in line with ourgovernment's effort to phase out the useof incandescent lights or “round bulbs” toachieve the target of 40% less carbonemission by 2020.”

Faiz believes “with sound technicalfundamentals, analytical mind-set, lots ofpatience and commitment plus goodgrasp of English, we can definitely be thebest engineers in world.”

Name : Ahmad Faiz RoslanAge : 29Qualification : Mechatronics Engineering Company : OSRAM Opto Semiconductors

Sdn Bhd

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Credits given to “myPenang/my workplace” CAT website www.penangcatcentre.my -managed by Invest-in-Penang Sdn Bhd.

The E&E industry may be perceived as dryas it deals with circuit, chips and chapsbut for Selvi Aldragen, it has its humanisticqualities. It is in E&E she is able to have thefinancial independence and flexibility tospend quality time with her two childrenand tend to a long-term project – hervegetable patch!

“I’m working as a Staff Engineer withAltera Corp now,” Selvi, who has onlybeen with Altera slightly over a year,shared. “My job scope involves solvingcustomer’s hardware-related issues, andtesting and verifying Altera pro d u c t sbased on design specifications.

“I enjoy innovation efforts in my teamand participate in host of technical-related training and coaching activities.This year, I’m chairing Altera’s TechnicalSymposium.”

Most Awesome Project:“My most awesome project is one thatgives me a reason to show off to my kids,”joked Selvi, “but seriously, I enjoyedworking as IC Design Engineer for a largeMNC in my early days as an engineer 11years ago. It was very satisfying to see thechips being implemented in a consumerp roduct and widely adopted byconsumers.”

Plotting a work lifebeyond chips andcircuits

Why engineering turns me on?“E&E sector is great for female engineerslike me,” Selvi shared, “as I pick up manysoft skills during my time with a few largeMNC companies in Penang. This hasallowed me to learn and adapt to globalwork cultures in every aspects of my life,be it planning, thinking process, or evenbeing goal-driven in knowledge or skills.

Selvi relishes the opportunity to work withglobal customers and worldwidecolleagues which she added “hasdefinitely broadened my horizontremendously.”

“I also appreciate the travel opportunitiesprovided to me in my course of work tomeet and work directly with mycounterparts,” she said. “I hope to fastforward in the direction of innovation andwould love to write more patents andattend and publish more papers inexternal conferences.”

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?“I think the opportunity to work withMNC’s is the best part of being an E&Eprofessional in Malaysia,” Selvi said.

She added there are many gre a tcompanies within the industry, thus,relatively easy to work for a goodcompany that offers good benefitpackages and encourages lateralworking experience, which is definitely abig plus!

Name : Selvi AldragenAge : 35Qualification : Electrical and

Electronics EngineeringCompany : Altera Corporation

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Toh Pei See is young, smart andambitious. An alumnus of the MotorolaSolutions scholarship programme, she ispoised for a bright career in MotorolaSolutions. It shows in the work she is doingat Motorola now, after all, she is doingR&D on Bluetooth related systems.

Most Awesome Project:“It has to be the first project I worked onin Motorola,” said this Penangite whojoined Motorala upon her graduation. “Iwas part of the team working on aBluetooth gateway. It was the first timeour team did work on bluetoothtechnology so it was challenging.

“This project was challenging because ofthe critical timeline and involved a lot ofnew technical knowledge. Duringdevelopment, we faced perf o rm a n c eissues such as the Bluetooth pairing time.Pairing time means time taken byBluetooth devices to connect with onea n o t h e r. We had issues whenconnectivity took up to 30 secondsduring our testing.”

It’s all about helpingpeople to be their best in the momentsthat matter

Due to the short timeline of 3 to 4 monthsdelivery and urgency to gain newknowledge to resolve the performanceissues, Pei See said her team of six seniorand junior engineers doubled their efforts.Finally the issues were resolved. Thep roduct was delivered ahead ofschedule. And the project was a success!

Why engineering turns me on?“I find telecommunications stuff new andinteresting, and nowadays, there is somuch new technology beingdeveloped,” this young engineer wholoves physics and mathematics said.

“I get to work on R&D stuff in embeddedsystems like Bluetooth accessories andthis is helping me grow as a SoftwareEngineer. I feel I’m on my path to pursuemy career as a professional.

This talented engineer who is editor-in-chief of Motorola’s internal eBulletins h a red she wants to master theknowledge of embedded system within 2years.

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?“There’s Motorola Solutions where I’vegot my scholarships and it’s challengingto be here doing stuff on embeddedsystems,” said this loyal Penangite. “Thereare also lots of opportunities to work andpursue careers with various MNCs inPenang. It is exciting.”

“I like working with people and getting tobe the editor-in-chief of eBulletin helpsme meet people from across theorganisation,” cheerful Pei See said, “TheeBulletin was launched last year and ispublished quarterly to share withM o t o rolans technical achievements,introduce new hires and showcase teambuilding efforts.”

Name : Toh Pei SeeAge : 25Qualification : Engineering majoring in

TelecommunicationsCompany : Motorola Solutions

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Chan Pei Lynn who hails from Segamatwants to change the world with herproducts. She became an engineer andin time, an architect defining new CPUfeatures!

“I am a Component Design Engineer atIntel Penang Design Centre where I amnow working on the development andcircuit design of Intel’s microprocessor(CPU),” this ambitious engineer shared.

“I code the new features fro mMicroarchitecture Specification and workon the ASIC design flow specialising onc i rcuit design, layout synthesis, placea n d - route,floor planning, powerreduction, physical and electricalverification, and Static Timing Analysis.”

Most Awesome Project:“This has to be the project I’m working onnow,” Pei Lynn exclaimed. “As featuresizes become smaller and circ u i t soperate at higher speeds, we need todesign innovative architectures to delivernew levels of performance and energyefficiency.

“I always feel motivated to learn more,contribute more, to challenge theboundaries and put my mark on theworld!”

Connecting andenriching lives throughmicroprocessor design

Why engineering turns me on?“I love seeing the product I worked onsold by the millions and to get ravereviews,” Pei Lynn said, “while at thesame time, I’m already developing thenext gen product to be released 2-4years down the road.

“I love getting my hands onto newtechnology years before the generalpublic and using my skills to change theway people think about computingtechnology,” Pei Lynn added.

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?“The E&E industry in Malaysia is where Iget to work with some of the smartestpeople in the business,” Pei Lynn, whoaims to have a few patents to her name,shared.

“Success in the E&E industry is purely meritdriven. Diversity in every aspect issupported and promoted everywhere toencourage ideas and innovation. Age,g e n d e r, racial demographic, politicalbeliefs; nothing matters in this industry. If Ihave a good idea and can prove it, I willmake a difference and be rewardedaccordingly.”

Pei Lynn advises those interested in E&E tohang out with the best in the industry andtry to beat them at their game!“Always stay challenged and motivatedto push the boundaries,” she concluded.

Name : Chan Pei LynnAge : 29Qualification : Computer Engineering Company : Intel Corporation

Living her life on the fast lane...

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Celine Teh knows about winning. She is amember of the team that won the‘Customer Innovation’ competition atSilterra. For her it is not just about winning;it is also about gaining knowledge andbeing a leader.

Penangite Celine joined Silterra 6 yearsago. Today, she is an Outsource ProcessIntegration Senior Engineer driving thep rocess improvement for higherrobustness and to make the wafers 100%failure proof.

“Though the E&E sector is male-dominated, working in Silterra has helpedme to hone my communication skills,enhance my technical knowledge andsharpen my ability to deal with customers

and co-workers from different countries,”Celine offered, adding the E&E industrytransformed Kulim and put Malaysia onthe map of E&E work.

The Most Awesome Project:“The most awesome project was one that contributed to average yieldi m p rovement 8-10%,” Celine re c a l l e dexcitedly. You can imagine the impacton the bottom line of the company fromsuch yield improvements.

Why engineering turns me on?Problem solving turns Celine on!

“I love to apply my knowledge to solvep roblems,” said Celine. “When I got h rough the process of analysing aproblem and working through differentsolutions to resolve the issue, I find theprocess satisfying and rewarding.”

Celine finds it satisfying to be working fora Malaysian company that hasm a n u f a c t u red the display driverintegrated chips for latest generationNokia and LG smart phones. Anotherhigh comes from working out at the gymat least once a week to stay fit.

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?Celine has gained much from the E&Esector. Not only is she being recognisedfor her work and contribution, she is beinggroomed to be a leader. In engineering,her gender has not hindered her careergrowth.

“At Silterra, I am given projects to leadand opportunities to hone my leadershipskills,” Celine shared.

She added the E&E industry in Malaysia isg rowing so rapidly with many fore i g ncompanies setting up shops here, thus,will always need capable engineers torun the show. Celine said “the country’saspiration to become a high-incomenation by 2020” offers tremendous careergrowth for her.

Manufacturing ICdrivers for smartphonesat Malaysia’s home-grown wafer foundry

Name : Celine Teh Hui ChungAge : 31Qualification : Chemical EngineeringCompany : SilTerra Malaysia

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Now in his 11th year as a R&D engineer atAgilent, Narulnizam Zainal Abidin believesthe nation is poised to transform itselffrom merely a “manufacturing centre”into a high-level research and designhub.

Most Awesome Project:“I was involved in a life-extension projectof the world’s most precise digitalm u l t i m e t e r, the 8? digit multimeter, ”Nizam shared, adding that themultimeter is an important device used ine l e c t ronics to measure voltage andfrequency accurately. “This model hasbeen around for about 30 years soadopting a new component to theproduct was a real challenge.”

Nizam added it was made morechallenging because he and his teamhad to update the multimeter while“maintaining precision and accuracy of120millions count of resolution andaverage 2ppm of error.”

He gained technical knowledge workingwith experienced R&D counterparts atthe design centre in Colorado, USA. Atthe same time, he learned to be a leaderand coach a team of engineers inPenang.

Nizam wants to make ithappen for Malaysia ashigh-tech nation

Why engineering turns me on?“Electronics is a really big world!” saidNizam.

At Agilent, he deals with complicatedproduct specifications and requirementsinvolving large-scale products. Thispresents unique problems each time aproject is started.

“The most challenging part is to tackleeach problem to find the most suitablesolution,” Nizam shared. “Having to dealwith so many situations has taught me towork systematically, think thoroughly andnot jump to conclusions withoutunderstanding all inputs.”

The real satisfaction for Nizam happenswhen he is able “to transfer the theory tothe drawing board and watch the ‘real’thing work.

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?This California State University, Fullerton,USA alum said Malaysia is where his heartand roots lie. He is a doting father to threebeautiful children – a 14-year-old girl, 12-year boy and the youngest daughter at2?, the apple of his eye – and theycomplete his life.

“My family is the centre of my world,”Nizam said, beaming with pride. “Thethree kids rock my world. It always painsme when I leave for trips to the US but Ialways make it up when I get back, justbeing with them at home.”

Yet, time is ripe for the re-engineering ofthe engineering industry in Malaysia!

“I see a lot of effort from companies andthe Government to transform Malaysia tobe more R&D-centric,” Nizam share dexcitedly, “and with collected effort fromexisting and new engineers, we canachieve it.

“I want to be part of that team whichmakes it happen!”

Name : Nazrulnizam Zainal AbidinAge : 43Qualification : Electronic and Communication

EngineeringCompany : Agilent Technologies

The “E” in engineering stands for manythings for Aris Azmil Alias. “E” represents“enthusiastic engineers;” “being“engaged;” “evolving engineeringenvironment” or achieving “excellence.”

This explains the longevity of Aris’ 12-yeartenure with Altera where he leads a teampioneering work in complexprogrammable logic devices (CPLD) aswell as comp lete solutions for Altera’scustomers.

Most Awesome Project:Aris explained most end users are notfamiliar with their products like CPLD,unlike Intel processors which everyoneknows. CPLD are general purpose circuitsused in mobile devices, servers, militaryp roducts, cars or just any electricalproducts which require programmablesemi-conductors.

“My most awesome project is a newsolution that we have introduced top rovide our customers with theadvantage in their owncompetitiveness,” Aris said. “It gives meg reat satisfaction the innovation weprovide has transpired in value and drivesme towards more innovative ideas.”

Developing solutions inProgrammable LogicSemi-conductors for newgeneration gadgets

Why engineering turns me on?At Altera, he and his team are constantlypicking up cutting-edge knowledge tocreate new products. And in creatingnew FPGA and CPLD products, anythinggoes!

“The pro is no one can tell me how it isbest done, but the con is I can getstressed out and that keeps me awake atnight to figure out how to start a newproject,” said this father of three youngkids who loves working in Altera becausethe company is constantly movingforward. “I just find it so satisfying and I getto work with a bunch of talented anddiverse group of people from around theglobe.”

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?Family definitely keeps Aris rooted inMalaysia, yet, in the big scheme of allthings electronics, Aris said Malaysia isf i rmly placed for the breaking ofinnovation wave.

“In Malaysia, almost 90% of Altera’sengineers are doing research and it iscertainly exciting to be part of thisinnovation wave,” Aris said. “In Altera, weare doing stuff developing multi-milliontransistors. Being part of this innovativeculture is just fulfilling.”

Altera Penang is the centre of action forelectrical and electronic engineeringinnovations as the campus which spans240,000 sq. ft is equipped with state-of-the-art R&D facilities. It is the larg e s toffshore R&D Technical Centre and AsiaPacific Manufacturing office outside ofUnited States.

Name : Aris Azmil AliasAge : 36Qualification : Electronics and Electrical

EngineeringCompany : Altera Corporation

Talent “pool” @ Altera

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Tan Zi Hao, who hails from the backwaterof Kelantan, has opted for life in theforefront of optical technology researchin Avago Technologies.

“I’m an Integrated Circuitry (IC) designerwith Avago Navigation Interf a c eDivision,” Zi Hao shared. “I work with ateam that develops optical navigationsensor which is used in most of the opticalmouse found in market today.”

Zi Hao’s contribution will advance thetechnology used in optical mouse as it isthe sensor that captures the image,enact the image processing and tellsthe user where to move the mouse.

Avago, which engages in R&D,manufacture, and marketing of mixed-signal and optoelectronic componentsand subsystems for communication andconsumer applications, is the ideal placefor Zi Hao to design more advancedproducts for use in the optical mouse.

Most Awesome Project:“My most exciting project involvesdesigning of an optical finger navigationsensor,” this young engineer said. “It is

Making the worldsmaller through neweroptical navigationproducts

used in some hand phones, such asBlackberry, as tracking device.

“As long as people are using a smartphone, an Avago part is there. What wedo is help people to communicate, makethe world smaller and bring the distanceshorter.”

Why engineering turns me on?“Seeing the products I have worked onturned into revenues for our customersand are being used by customers is reallyre w a rding,” said Zi Hao, an avidbadminton fan.

He added the challenge is ensure theproducts he works on are always aheadof our competitors in terms of powere fficiency, cost and value, and thatkeeps him excited.

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?“The E&E field in Malaysia is open andnurturing,” Zi Hao said, adding that whenhis team does well, everyone shares thetriumph and financial re w a rd! “Theopportunity to work with people aroundthe world exposes me to different culturesand being able to learn from expertshelps to broaden my knowledge.

Zi Hao, who wants to continue doingcutting-edge design, envisions working ingesture recognition R&D in the future andas The Terminator said, “Hasta la vista,baby!”

Name : Tan Zi HaoAge : 32Qualification : Electrical and

Electronics EngineeringCompany : Avago Technologies

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In Agilent Technologies R&D world ofhandheld instruments, Akmarul Ariffin binSalleh is a star engineer!

Hand-picked to work on US-basedprojects since 2005, Akmarul is one of thekey R&D engineers who designed anddeveloped the Network Analyzerc i rcuitries and for the entire highp e rf o rmance frequency synthesizersections with frequency operation up to26.5GHz.

It is no surprise a few of his gurus tried tol u re Akmarul to trail blaze R&Dengineering work in the United States. Atrue patriot, Akmarul believes “he can beone of the best R&D engineers inMalaysia” and be respected here for thework he has pioneered so far.

Most Awesome Project:“My most awesome pro j e c t –codenamed N9923 – is the world’s bestdynamic range handheld,” Akmarul said.“I was the project leader and architect ofthe block diagram and developed the RFb o a rd too, which is the heart of theinstrument.

Working on internationalprojects right here inMalaysia

Akmarul’s star shone brightest on theN9923 project! He has filed several IPsand was placed top 12th worldwide forhis pioneering work in Agilent Innovate2010, his company’s annual worldwidecompetition.

Agilent, the pioneer in scientific tools, hasbeen making precision measure m e n ttools since the 1930s. Agilent’s manymeasurement tools are used to test foodsafety, examine crime scene evidence,study diseases or develop new drugs.

Why engineering turns me on?“In the last 5 years, my work has been inR&D,” this Johorean shared. “R&D work ishot as it has instilled in me the belief andconfidence in my ability to do highlytechnical stuff. The confidence I have is ‘Icould do this’ or ‘nothing is impossible’and so on.”

Why build an engineering career inMalaysia?Being a leader in handheld Agilentproducts in Malaysia is a cool thingbecause, as Akmarul puts it, “People lookup to you as you have a lot of credentialsfor the things you’ve accomplished.”

Name : Akmarul Ariffin bin SallehAge : 34Qualification : Electrical EngineeringCompany : Agilent Technologies

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FASTRACK: An OverviewFasTrack is a structured apprenticeship programme – funded and run bythe Government and industry – to accelerate the development of theR&D talent pool for the E&E sector by equipping graduates with domainknowledge and industry relevant expertise.

Phase 1 was launched in June 2011 with five host companies – Agilent,Altera, Intel, Motorola and SilTerra and has been successfully trainedmore than 100 apprentices. The training and hands-on, on-the-jobexperience are rigorous and the results is a new pool of talent who areadept and industry-ready. Such competency building programmes arerequired for Malaysia to achieve aspiration of a high income nation byyear 2020.

Phase 2 will train 120 apprentices with seven host companies – Agilent,Altera, Clarion, Intel, Infineon, Motorola and SilTerra. The programme willstart in June 2012.

Learn more about what the FasTrack apprentices did during their on-thejob trainings with host companies on pages 20 to 24.

FasTrack is run by Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC). To knowmore about the FasTrack and apply log on to www.psdc.org.my

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FasTrack Project:P o n t i a n - b o rn Ng Jia Tian loves doingtests. Not just any tests though becausefor every successful test he does at AlteraCorporation, it means faster progress onthe project.

“I have been working on the StratixV,which is Altera’s High-end FPGA testdevelopment programme, since joiningthe company on FasTrack,” Jia Tian said.

“I run diff e rent types of test like Te s tDevelopment, Test Flow and ProgrammeDevelopment and do script writing toe n s u re we get the process right orsummarised results that we need.”

Benefits joining FasTrack:Jia Tian who graduated from MultimediaUniversity, Cyberjaya, is excited aboutthe FasTrack programme as it has

p re p a red him for the actual workingenvironment.

“The formal classroom and lab trainingshave increased my productivity,” Jia Tians h a red. “With better technicalknowledge and communication skills, Iam able to perform better in my workand present more confidently. Thiscertainly enhances my performance andadds to my leadership skills.”

Always eager to learn, Jia Tian revealedhe always does his best to complete hisdaily assignment as fast as possible,“without neglecting the quality of thework.”

“I really enjoy my work here and havegood relationships with my collegues likegoing out with them for lunch,” Jia Tianadded, an indication he has put intopractice the soft skills gained fro mFasTrack programme.

Why choose E&E sector to build yourcareer:“The E&E sector offers great opportunityfor young professionals like myself,” JiaTian enthused. “Altera is an amazingcompany to start off my career as I amassigned to different tasks which enableme to gain knowledge on what theoverall project is about and how thedepartment operates.”

He feels supported as “each and everycolleague is willing to teach and guide,and always open to share theirknowledge and experience.”

“I can see myself as a successful testengineer and am always up for newchallenges,” Jia Tian revealed. “I findengineering exciting and have becomevery motivated. The work environment inMalaysia is conducive for me to gain theskills, knowledge and experience to helpme achieve my career goals.

“I definitely want to use this opportunity tolearn as much and contribute to buildingthis country to become a high-technation.”

Name : Ng Jia TianAge : 24Qualification : Electronics Engineering

majoring in NanotechnologyCompany : Altera Corporation

Jia Tian looks to buildcareer as test engineer

FasTrack Project:The pace seems insane but Wong SoonKeat loves the action handling twoprojects as part of his FasTrack training.“I manage the testing of AutomatedSanity Test and development of softwarein a new mobile radio,” Soon Keatshared. “The Sanity Test is done to test anew software and such tests are run on aweekly basis.

“The Sanity Test tests basic radiofunctionality and if new software isadded, to check if the transmission andreceiving functions work normally. Thisproject is exciting as I got the opportunityto create a programme to automate theSanity Tests.”

This young engineer proudly announcedthat as a result of his project the effort torun tests is reduced from 2 hours down to30 minutes.

“As for developing new software, it couldbe anything such as a new mobile radiothat is used in police cars,” this Penangitedescribed. “Sometime, features areupgraded in the hard w a re and thesoftware has to work with new hardware.This fine- tuning can take up to 6 months.”

Benefits joining FasTrack:Soon Keat felt FasTrack has helped himhone his soft skills which makes him avaluable member of a team.

“I have better understanding of the bigp i c t u re and can manage projects ortasks more efficiently,” he said.

Why choose E&E sector to build yourcareer:“I just love the people in my departmentat Motorola,” Soon Keat said. “They arefriendly and helpful! It is important to getto know one’s colleagues because as atrainee, one never knows when help isneeded. Mine are really helpful and I’mlucky!”

“I love engineering,” this sporty guy whounwinds playing badminton, working outin the gym and jogging, exclaimed. “Ibelieve I will lead R&D projects in 5 yearstime and with the experiences andknowledge I have gained, I willcontribute to the growth of the companyI am with and the E&E industry inMalaysia.”

Soon Keat feels working at Motorola is theperfect launching pad for his engineeringcareer.

“My training in Motorola is challengingyet complete,” Soon Keat recalled. “Iunderstand the processes involved instarting and managing a task or project,and learned from my colleagues’technical knowledge or experiences.

“In 2 to 3 years, I hope to become anarchitect of a software and lead theplanning of an overall project,” SoonKeat concluded.

Name : Wong Soon KeatAge : 23Qualification : Electronics Engineering majoring

in TelecommunicationCompany : Motorola Solutions Technology

Fast pace at Motorolaperfect for Soon Keat todevelop career

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FasTrack Project:“I am working on software testing where Itest compliance of applications,” YeohLay Kim said. “What I do is to ensure thequality of application that is developedby the developer and if I find any bug, Iwill submit a report to keep track of theprocess.

“Once the developer solves the issue, Iwill re-test until the bug is resolved. Thenthe testing for that particular bug isclosed. I’m also involved in generatingthe installation of software applications.”

Catching technical bugs is hard work;fortunately for Lay Kim, Agilent has a sportcomplex which provides sportingactivities such as badminton, squash,gym, yoga, football and weight trainingfor her to chill, hang out or de-stress.

“Every Monday I play badminton with mycolleagues after work,” Lay Kim shared.“And on Wednesdays, we have ourmovie day because we can get cheapertickets. Life is wonderful at Agilent whichmakes working here a lot more fun.”

Benefits joining FasTrack:“The FasTrack programme, organised byPSDC, has given me lots of training,” thisPenangite said. “The trainings are usefulin helping me adapt to my workingenvironment more easily.”

Lay Kim said “it is fun and exciting towork with my colleagues and the bestpart is I get to mix around with all theFasTrack apprentices. They all are caringand willing to share their knowledge.”

Why choose E&E sector to build yourcareer:“I have been interested in programmingand computer language since afterF o rm 5,” Lay Kim recalled. “I find itchallenging and fun to learn more aboutsoftware development. I am very fresh inthe industry and have a lot to catch upand learn but I am happy that I’mgaining new knowledge every day.”

A loyal Penang girl, Lay Kim said Penangis a great place to build her E&E careerbecause there are a lot of resourcesh e re, supported by local and fore i g nMNCs and SMEs based here. By 2020, shebelieves she will be leading projects onsoftware development and still learningthe latest tech knowledge.

“I want to be a software developmentexpert,” Lay Kim revealed, adding thatwhen she improves herself technical andmanagement skills, her salary will growaccordingly too. “Of course, I hope toown a house and car by then but mostimportantly, have become a valuableasset in my department or company.”

Name : Yeoh Lay KimAge : 24Qualification : Business Information SystemsCompany : Agilent Technologies

Agilent is Lay Kim’s cool choice to developher career

FasTrack Project:In a company where raw material forwafer production means investments ofmillions of ringgit, precision in testing isvital. Chun Tiong sees his roles togenerate new test structure for OpticalProximity Checking (OPC) testing withinSilterra really crucial, not only to reducecosts but to improve efficiency too.

Silterra Malaysia is Malaysia’s very ownsemiconductor wafer foundry whichincludes complete, competitive contractmanufacturing for fabless customers’designs. Silterra’s foundry shipped half a

billion wafers across the globe in 2011, soChun Tiong’s work to improve efficiencymeans savings of millions of ringgit.

“The new test structure I create for OPCtest structures can improve pro x i m i t ychecking on design rule on the actualprinted wafer data and simulation data,”Chun Tiong off e red. In the past, theexisting OPC tests only ran 20 times butwith the new structures that Chun Tionghas created, more than 30 tests arec reated. This means more thoro u g htesting and less wastage.

Benefits joining FasTrack:“The FasTrack programme pro v i d e dsome basic training but what is really ofvalue is learning about real worke n v i ronment,” Chun Tiong explained.“ From this experience, I was able toadapt to the actual working situationquite easily.”

Why choose E&E sector to build yourcareer?In the last 40 years, Malaysia hasdeveloped an industrial base across thee n t i re semi-conductor value chainspanning both local companies andmultinationals. Silterra supplies raw waferto Fabless design IC houses, and wasranked among the top 20 in globalfoundry Garnter rankings 2010. “Itssatisfying to be part of processes controlat a world class wafer foundry,” saidChun Tiong.

“At Silterra I really enjoy solving technicalp roblems and issues of designs ands t r u c t u res,” Chun Tiong said. He alsopraised the work process at Silterra whereeveryone “works in a team and the flowis more fluid.”

“My mentor at Silterra said it might takeup to 8 years to become competent inOPC testing but I’m going to beat thattimeline,” Chun Tiong informed.

Improving efficienciesof wafer manufacturingthrough mastery ofoptical processchecking

Name : How Chun TiongAge : 25Qualification : Mechanical Engineering

Majoring in Materials Company : Silterra Malaysia

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FasTrack Project:At Motorola Solutions, Nasibah Dzulkiflywas put in the Research andDevelopment department to work ontesting the optimization of two wayradios based on customers’requirements.

The testing Nasibah does is for theoptimization of communication deviceslike walkie talkies used in very fragilee n v i ronments, sometimes explosive innature like in an oil refinery.

“We know radio frequency interferenceand electrostatic discharge in the oil, gasand mining environment can cre a t esafety hazard to the workers,” Nasibahexplained, “and at Motorola Solutions,our solutions protect both the users anddevices from such hazard so they canfocus on doing their jobs without worryingof their own safety.”

Benefits joining FasTrack:For Nasibah, the FasTrack training was areality check!

“FasTrack helped me to experience lifeas is and think like an engineer in a safee n v i ronment,” Nasibah recalled. “The

training gives me a better understandingof the engineering industry so I can betterp e rf o rm when I joined Motorola Solutions.”

Being in one of two Motoro l a ’ smanufacturing centres globally thatproduces two-way radio products meansNasibah gets to be in the heart of thetechnology hub and learn about thelatest in the world of communicationsexpertise.

Why choose E&E sector to build yourcareer?K L - b o rn and bred Nasibah loves herapprenticeship at Motorola, the marketleader in transportation and public safetysolutions in Asia Pacific, as her experiencehas been warm and she always feltwelcomed there.

“I am amazed at how much trust myseniors have in me to do the tasks eventhough I lack the experience,” Nasibahsaid. “Some of the jobs they have givenme to do are complex but they arearound to help and offer suggestions.”

Nasibah found the working environmentin Motorola nurturning and especially forsomeone as green as her, the senior staffare always ready to guide and mentorher.

“Every day I am dealing with newknowledge and opportunities to createnew technologies,” this techie said. “Ilove everything and anything electricaland electronics! My mentor who is anexpert in one type of sub-system,specifically transmission, totally inspire sme. He has only been in Motorola for 3years but does cool work.”

Name : Nasibah DzulkiflyAge : 25Qualification : Mechatronics Engineering Company : Motorola Solutions

Bringing safety to thefore front by ensuringradio performance infragile environments

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Field of StudyCareerOpportunities

Startingsalaries

Who arecompanies hiring?

LEGENDEE - Electronic and Electrical EngineeringME - Mechanical EngineeringIE - Industrial EngineeringCS - Computer ScienceComp.E - Computer EngineeringCh.E - Chemical EngineeringChem - ChemistryBio.Sci - Biological SciencesMat.Sci - Materials SciencePhy - Physics

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Opportunitiesin the E&E sector

Preparation for a career as an engineerin the E&E sector may begin as early asyour undergraduate years in university.There are many programs and events toparticipate in that will enable you topursue a career path in this field upongraduation.

Internships: During semester breaks, takethe opportunity to work at engineeringfirms as an intern to gain vital practicalexperience to supplement the theorieslearned in university classes. Internshipp rogrammes such as the High-endIndustries Graduate Intern s h i pP rogramme (HEIGIP) aim to developeducational and pro f e s s i o n a lcompetencies via on-the-job training,while also nurturing specific capabilitiesfor the industry.

C o m p e t i t i o n s : A platform to pro m o t ei n t e rest in engineering design andenhance problem-solving and team-working skills of students is competitions.For example, the Innovate MalaysiaDesign Competition (h t t p : / / i n n o v a t e .d re a m c a t c h e r. a s i a / i n d e x . h t m l) targ e t sfinal-year E&E Engineering and ComputerScience undergraduates with a passionfor turning innovative ideas into reality.

Upskilling: Fresh graduates in Engineeringcan undergo training programs thatp re p a re them with competencies tobenefit the industry. Upskilling programs,like FasTrack (find out more underPrograms@PSDC at http://psdc.org.my),implement a mix of classroom trainingand project work to accelerate thedevelopment of the R&D talent pool forthe Malaysian E&E sector.

The above programs are examples ofhow public-private partnerships arecommitted to closing the skills gap byassisting companies to train theirpersonnel. The industry is keen ondeveloping young talent, since they area key enabler for the Malaysian E&Esector to move up the value chain andachieve becoming a high-income nationby 2020.