The Otomotif College 2012 Graduation Ceremony
July 15 marked the end of a journey, and the beginning of a new chapter for 167 students of The Otomotif College (TOC). At TOC’s fifth graduation ceremony, proud parents, graduates and TOC staff gathered at Renaissance Hotel to celebrate the results of years of hard work and practice into becoming fully qualified personnel in the automotive industry.
After the procession of students and distinguished guests made their way into the convocation hall amid the dignified music of a gamelan troupe, the ceremony began with singing of the national anthem and a short prayer recital.
Shortly after, the opening address to the graduates was delivered by TOC’s Chief Executive Mr. Wan Kamarulzaman. Reminding graduates to be grateful to their parents for their unceasing support during their journey, Mr. Wan also advised students to savour the moment of their graduation. As graduates go on their separate ways hence, they should remember the triumphs and camaraderie with fellow students while on their path onto a career in the automotive industry. Mr. Wan expressed full confidence that the class of 2012 will succeed in all endeavours and is looking forward to seeing the graduate make their mark in the industry. Before stepping off the podium, Mr. Wan also reminded graduates that the door to their alma mater is always open to them, and hopes to see them again as working adults.
After which, it was time for the guest of honour Mr. Dennis Ho Kok Mun, Managing Director of Sime Darby Motor Division Malaysia Sdn. Bhd, to deliver his keynote speech to the graduates. Mr. Hon congratulated the graduates on their success, but reminded them to lead a balanced social life to go with their career. According to Mr. Ho, the automotive industry had progressed much, especially over the last decade. The industry is facing a shortfall of talent to keep abreast with the changes. As a distributor of Ford, Hyundai, BMW and Porsche vehicles amongst others, Sime Darby Motor Division Sdn. Bhd. currently employs 2152 staff in Malaysia, and the numbers are expected to rise. 37 students from TOC had interned with the company and its subsidiaries, but Sime Darby Motor Division hopes to improve further collaboration to increase the talent pool of automotive specialists in the country. To do that, the company is opening up 25 positions within its ranks to the top graduates, as well as awarding the top 5 graduates with cash prizes and gifts as incentive for students to inspire others towards further academic excellence while honing dedication and discipline.
Before proceeding with the awards ceremony, TOC took the opportunity to thank their industry partners for providing effective Supervised Industrial Training (SIT) and internship opportunities for TOC students in providing a real-life and comprehensive learning experience.
The moment had then arrived for presentation of scrolls for Diploma in Motorsports, followed by Diploma In Automotive Technology and finally Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia I & II graduates. The 2012 graduation ceremony is also a landmark for TOC: it marks the graduation of the first batch of students to complete TOC’s Diploma of Motorsports. True to his word, Mr. Dennis Ho then presented a mock cheque of RM1000 and RM250 worth of sponsored gifts to recipients of TOC Outstanding Achievers Award 2012. The distinguished students are Kraisorn Bunjaridh, Mohd Ashraff bin Mohd Rafid, Goh Pei Fung, Lam Boon Yee and Terrance Moey Jun Ping.
As top graduate from the class of 2012, Mr Kraisorn took the podium next. Thanking his parents and instructors on behalf of his peers, he expressed gratitude that TOC provided a strong foundation to prepare graduates for the realities of working life in the industry. He also recounted some fond memories during his time studying, especially when his racing team took the podium finish in an inter-varsity racing challenge. Mr. Kraisorn said that it was a true accomplishment for their team and for their team of diploma level students to not only compete against engineering degree students, but to come out on top as well.
With the presentation of scrolls complete, the graduation ceremony reaches its conclusion. After providing the guest of honour, Mr. Dennis Ho with a token of appreciation, the closing address was delivered by Dean of Academics, Ms. Adelaine Foo. Congratulating the students once more, Ms. Foo quipped to laughter that they managed to ‘survive’ TOC, and their scroll is testament to their attitude and skills they have built up over the last two and a half years. She reiterated that the word ‘attitude’ came before ‘skills’ because the right attitude is important for any student before they can acquire the necessary skills. Thanking the graduates for making TOC history, she wished them all a bright future.