The students were given information on the use of machinery for agriculture.
BINTULU: Engineering in the agricultural industry needs to be exposed and introduced to the community, especially the new generation of students who take the subject as their major so that they know the appropriate machinery to use to facilitate agricultural work.
Supervisor and Lecturer of the Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization Course at the Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Management and Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB) Dr Juniza Md Saad said, through this exposure, knowledge about the machinery used in the agricultural industry will be increased.
"We can also directly see the reality of the job in the field of engineering," she said while accompanying 30 Semester 5 Agricultural Technology Engineering Diploma (DKTP05) 2023/2024 session students in conjunction with the Engineering Knowledge Integration Program at Tractors Malaysia Bintulu Branch recently.
She said, it is hoped that this out-of-class learning activity will enable students to connect the environment in reality.
The program was also attended by five senior lecturers from the involved faculty and an official from the Putra Agricultural Center of UPMKB.
Earlier, she said, the program involved a brief briefing on industrial safety by the company's management staff Martin Tubai Angai, company introduction by the company's East Malaysia and Brunei Regional Safety Officer, Kenrick Keaton Barnabas.
The briefing touched on the history of the Tractors Malaysia company under the management of Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd, on the machinery industry in Malaysia as well as a briefing by Wilson Sirau on the types of machinery used for the agricultural sector and the appropriate implementation for agricultural activities.
Lecturers and students were also taken on a tour of the machinery storage area and explained about the various types of machinery used in the agricultural and construction sectors.
Dr Juniza stated that they were briefed on the components and maintenance of machinery parts such as the engine, maintenance and safety measures when operating the machinery.
She said that the program gave more detailed input to the students about mechanization in the agriculture and construction sectors.
Meanwhile, its program director Jacques Vinskie Make said, the study tour had a big impact on the students.
"Not only theoretical and practical learning needs to be emphasized in the university, even direct exposure of students to the industry will be able to provide an injection of enthusiasm in attracting students' interest in studying engineering," he said.
He hopes that all the knowledge that is shared can be used by every student to the best of his or her ability as future engineers who will develop the country, so that more students are interested in the field of agricultural mechanization and become competent graduates in the field.
