SILTERRA JOINS PARTNERSHIP TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Collaboration between Silterra and Government to enhance Malaysian technical expertise

Kulim, February 5, 2007 – Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Silterra), a leading semiconductor wafer foundry, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Malaysia to form a strategic partnership in the planning and development of education and training programmes for local Community Colleges throughout Malaysia.

As part of the Ninth Malaysian Plan to spur the growth of human capital, the development of Community Colleges will be spearheaded by the Government with the support of Malaysian industries to ensure that the skills of students are relevant and practical to the demands of the job market. 

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Jalaluddin Jarjis, Chairman of Silterra, said: “Silterra is very eager to participate in the programme and play a pivotal role to help develop and enhance the skills and knowledge of young Malaysians. As part of the company’s corporate social responsibility plan, Silterra will continue to commit its resources in sharing its technical expertise with the Malaysian workforce, particularly those who are keen to build a career in the semiconductor wafer fabrication business.”

Witnessed by Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia, the signing of the MoU will facilitate the setting up of a Working Group headed by the Director-General, Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education, Ministry of Higher Education, that will steer the collaborative initiatives between the Community Colleges and Silterra.

Among the areas of collaboration identified in the MoU include commitment by Silterra to provide industrial training for students of Community Colleges and the sharing of expertise and facilities to help upgrade the knowledge base of the Community Colleges. In addition, Silterra will support the Community Colleges in the development and periodic review of the programmes and curricula. 

“Silterra believes that there is a need to ‘bridge’ the theoretical aspects of technical and engineering knowledge taught in academia with the actual application and training in the industries. Hence the Company has taken the lead to work with universities for years. To date, we have collaborated with more than twenty universities and institutions of higher learning. We have shared our expertise and resources with lecturers, researchers and students continuously,” added Jalaluddin Jarjis.

Recently, Silterra signed a Cooperation Programme Agreement with a Consortium of local universities comprising Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysian Multimedia University (MMU), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) allowing researchers, undergraduates and teaching faculty members to carry out testing and fabrication of chip designs on a free-of-charge basis. 

The high-technology company also partnered with the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) and Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia (KUKUM) under the Industrial Skills Enhancement Programme (INSEP) initiative to provide classroom, laboratory and on-the-job learning for unemployed fresh technical degree graduates interested in building a career in the semiconductor wafer fabrication business. 

“Since our inception in 1995, Silterra has provided training to more than a thousand engineers and technical specialists through our rigorous on-the-job and technical training programmes. We believe our experience and track record will enable us to make significant contribution to the development of Community Colleges in Malaysia,” concluded Jalaluddin Jarjis. 

About Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.:

Market demand driven, SilTerra Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a semiconductor wafer foundry offering major foundry compatible CMOS logic, high-voltage and mixed-signal/RF technologies down to 0.13-micron feature size. This includes complete, competitive contract manufacturing for fabless and IDM customers’ designs. SilTerra’s wafer fab has a design capacity of 40,000 eight-inch wafers per month.
Environmentally vigilant, SilTerra delivers award winning, world-class performance to its customers seeking flexible capacity, competitive advantages and around the clock customer support. SilTerra is ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001 certified. Founded in 1995, the company’s headquarters and factory are located in Malaysia’s Kulim High-Tech Park, and SilTerra has sales and marketing offices in San Jose (California) and Hsinchu (Taiwan). For additional information on SilTerra or its services, please visit www.silterra.com.