JOHOR BAHRU, Jan. 11 – The student society club Persatuan Pengurusan & Penilaian Harta Tanah (PEHARTA) and Land Administration & Development Society (LADS) under the Department of Real Estate from the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), together with industry partner Mr. Ewe Lee Chng from Comet Catcher Sdn. Bhd. organized an annual program entitled Real Estate Students’ Interview Session with Industry Professionals 2024. The programme was held on 11 January 2024 in the FABU Convention Hall and was attended by 18 companies with real estate backgrounds, including Malaysian and Singaporean companies.
The program was initiated by Dr. Muhamad Amir Afiq bin Lokman, who represented the Director of the Real Estate Department. Later, Mr Ewe Lee Chng from Comet Catcher Sdn. Bhd. gave a brief speech. Each company representative provided a concise overview of their company’s background. Interestingly, most of the attending company representatives are UTM alumni from the Real Estate Programme.
This program is aimed at Real Estate and Land Administration senior students. It is designed to improve students’ job prospects and help them secure employment after graduation. The program has generated much interest from real estate companies in Malaysia and Singapore, providing students with valuable industry connections and opportunities to collaborate with the department.
Over the years, numerous companies have attended the program, including Gather Building Management, Total Property Management Sdn. Bhd., Posh & Core Property Management, PMC Facilities & Real Estate, One Asia Property Consultants, IQI Realty Sdn. Bhd., Henry Butcher (Mont Kiara) Malaysia, Knight Frank Malaysia, Dualtap Property Management Sdn. Bhd., Hunt Property, Asia Properties and Assets Consultancy, Chambers Property Management Services, Cranscetia Property Management Sdn. Bhd., and many more reputable firms. This increase in participation reflects the program’s significant impact on graduates’ employability.
As mentioned by Mr Ewe Lee Chng from Comet Catcher Sdn. Bhd., the program should be conducted continuously as most companies that participated in the program were interested in hiring UTM graduates based on their skills and knowledge. Moreover, many students who attended the program also expressed interest in pursuing their early careers as valuers, property managers, estate agents, and real estate negotiators in these well-established companies.
This program offers third and fourth-year students an excellent opportunity to identify suitable companies for their practical training. It helps them to prepare for the industrial training sessions they will undergo. The program aligns with the department and faculty’s goals to develop highly skilled graduates who can apply their knowledge to real-world industrial scenarios. The participation of Singaporean companies also enables students to broaden their knowledge and explore different working cultures.
