Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a collaborative way of working which provides teams involved in a construction project with accessible, accurate data. BIM can promote better communication, greater efficiency, cost savings and reduced risk. The Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) has advocated its use since 2014. However, in a survey conducted by CIDB, challenges that hinder the adoption of BIM in Malaysia include high training costs, lack of BIM knowledge and the inaccessibility of BIM trainings . To bridge the gaps, INTI International University and China-based Glodon Company Limited launched a BIM Development Centre in the university’s campus.
(From left to right): Dr Mohd Harris Ismail, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-chairman of Ascension Technology Sdn Bhd and BuildingSMART Malaysia Chapter, Azman Ibrahim, the Under Secretary from the Ministry of Works Malaysia, Helen Liu, Vice President of Glodon Company Limited, Dr Joseph Lee, Vice Chancellor of INTI International University, Dr Lai Yin Ling, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying at INTI International University, Victor Lee, Director of Glodon (Malaysia) Software Sdn Bhd and KC Chan, International Marketing Manager, Glodon Company Limited outside the newly-launched BIM Development Centre.
This is part of INTI’s commitment to prepare career-ready professionals and embrace new standards and market trends. An agreement was recently signed for INTI to be the sole training partner of Glodon in Malaysia to provide competency-based training to industry practitioners, as well as members of academia at its new BIM Development Centre. This will enable industry practitioners to be trained in Glodon’s BIM software called Cubicost at INTI and gain exemptions from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF). Glodon also contributed to the licenses for the software in INTI’s BIM Development Centre.
This development is on top of INTI’s existing curriculum where undergraduate Quantity Surveying students obtain a competency certification by Glodon upon successful completion of their studies, in addition to the full degrees.
“The setup of this Centre is a great milestone, not only for INTI but on a larger scale, for the nation to accelerate into the BIM era. Thanks to Glodon, INTI is the first and only overseas Cubicost training centre to provide competency training to industry practitioners as well as academia,” shared Dr Lai Yin Ling, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying at INTI International University.
The winning teams from INTI with mock cheques of their prizes at the Malaysia BIM Contest 2018 organised by Glodon.
“We are proud that we are able to contribute to the Quantity Surveying talent pool required by the industry. Together with Glodon, we are confident that we can assist the nation to modernise the industry as we also assist industry players to unlock their potential in BIM.”
Helen Liu, Vice President of Glodon Company Limited, shared Dr Lai’s enthusiasm. “Glodon has vast experiences in working with universities in China – there are approximately 1,000 higher education institutions in China that are already collaborating with us and are adopting Glodon’s syllabus into their modules, and training new talents for the industry,” she said.
“Glodon selected INTI to be its first overseas Cubicost training centre provider because of INTI’s stellar reputation in the education industry in Malaysia. Moreover, INTI’s industry-relevant curriculum and its active engagement with industry players shows that INTI knows global trends in employment and it is keen in improving industry standards along with Glodon to prepare a globalised workforce for future challenges.”
Azman Ibrahim, Under Secretary from the Ministry of Works Malaysia (Kementerian Kerjaya Malaysia) was also at the launch event as a guest speaker to share about the future of BIM in Malaysia. He applauded INTI’s move to prepare students for the industry by equipping them with BIM training prior to their graduation, so that they could take up available roles in the industry when they enter the workforce.
INTI students also proved their mettle in BIM recently as two groups of students won second and third place respectively in the Malaysia BIM Contest 2018 organised by Glodon. 16 teams from 7 public and private universities competed in the University category and each group had to submit a project using BIM software by Glodon. The winning teams from INTI won RM3,000 and RM1,000 respectively for their efforts.