KUCHING: Fakultas Seni Rupa dan Desain (FSRD) Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) organised a virtual welcoming ceremony for SayD’SignersSarawak Batch Three to mark the commencement of their second year Furniture Design training programme.
Six fresh graduates from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) started their first year training in 2020 through the Industrial Attachment Programme with furniture manufacturers in Sarawak.
Due to the pandemic, they could not to be present physically at ITB and followed the training syllabus and curriculum online.
SayD’SignersSarawak is a two-year training programme developed by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) in collaboration with Unimas.
The programme aims to enhance knowledge and skills in design process and thinking, developing their career path as furniture designers in the state’s timber industry.
“With a target of 100 trained furniture designers by 2030, STIDC’s vision is to achieve an export earning of RM6 billion worth of high value added products such as furniture from Sarawak by 2030,” STIDC said.
STIDC collaborated with ITB since 2019 and “ITB has developed a thoroughly researched customised curriculum for this programme, and we have seen its positive impact on trainees,” said STIDC general manager Hashim Bojet.
“We have trained four batches with a total of 26 fresh graduates. Fifteen are still undergoing training at ITB.”
“The fourth batch of five fresh graduates from Unimas began their first year attachment under the guidance of a creative consultant appointed by STIDC to run the first year programme in Sarawak.”
STIDC will also be organising a SayD’SignersSarawak webinar on April 6, as well as joining the Asean Furniture & Furnishing Show from March 9 to 18, promoting the new designs and prototypes produced by SayD’SignersSarawak.
