KUCHING, Jan 9: Nine participants have signed up for the second batch of Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation’s (STIDC) Pool of Young Designers (POYOD) programme with the Faculty of Art and Design, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia to enhance their furniture design skills.
STIDC in a recent statement disclosed it is collaborating with ITB as part of its efforts to provide a two-year training programme in furniture designing for its members.
Commenting on the attachment training programme, STIDC general manager Hashim Bojet revealed: “The attachment training of POYOD at ITB will further enhance POYOD knowledge and skills in designing with more input and international exposure through ITB linkages and networks.
“ITB has developed a thoroughly researched customised curriculum for STIDC POYOD that will have a positive impact and enrich POYOD experiences and skills in design.
“I am confident that POYOD will benefit greatly from this training and upon their completion will be ready to serve as furniture designers to the timber industry in Sarawak,” he added.
Meanwhile, STIDC revealed that it developed the POYOD training programme in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), industry players and other institutions such as ITB.
The programme is aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of fresh graduates from Unimas in furniture design, developing their career path and making them readily marketable in the timber industry in Sarawak.
The training is in line with STIDC’s vision to transform the timber industry, giving greater emphasis and focus on the growth and development of value-added potential, especially the furniture industry.
From left to right: Bagus, Racella Nain, Mastia Changgai, Jessica Tan Siew Ling, Maliha Mail, Nur Fatin Asyikin, Siti Nurhasyiken, Arifin Mohd Sidek, Royreson Thomas and Ryan Matthaeus August. Photo credit: STIDC.
In the meantime, STIDC observed that the nine POYOD members have completed their one-year training with Shin Yang Laminated Board Sdn Bhd, Miri and Giovanni Wood Industries Sdn Bhd, Kuching in 2019.
During the one-year attachment industrial training, the participants completed two projects.
Those projects were STIDC’s participation with POYOD’s new furniture design produced by Shin Yang and Giovanni Wood Industries Sdn Bhd at Index Mumbai, India in May 2019 and Downtown Design Dubai, Dubai, UAE in November 2019.
The corporation noted the furniture designs for those projects have generated potential furniture sales worth RM138 million.
STIDC believes the second-year training at ITB will be able to provide its POYOD participants with further international exposure especially through POYOD participation in Milan Design Week, Italy in 2021. — DayakDaily
