Canon Marketing Malaysia and Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) are collaborating to nurture and educate the future talents of the creative industry.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently, they would involve the sharing of expertise between both parties to help cultivate and uplift Malaysia’s creative sector and cultural development.
The public university, based in Kuala Lumpur, has brought onboard Canon and six other collaborators together to strengthen the quality of education offered at ASWARA (National Academy of Arts Culture & Heritage) to provide valuable insights into industry-relevant skills and knowledge.
Various collaborative programmes are in the pipeline to facilitate students with greater opportunities to further their career development.
The alliance is in line with the National Cultural Policy (DAKEN 2021) to create a high value cultural society through development of the arts, while providing a platform for more artists, artisans and creatives to showcase their talent and diversity to the public – accredited by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC).
Canon Marketing Malaysia president and CEO Shunji Yoshikai said the MoU aligns with Canon’s social initiatives in fostering a sustainable society with fair chances for all and laying the foundational framework for a strategic alliance.
”Our state-of-the-art technologies offer the opportunities to help develop and elevate Malaysia’s creative industry.
“Our partnership reaffirms our commitment to support the government’s effort towards implementing the cultural development agenda, while providing channels and tools for the youths to explore various artistic expressions,” he said.
ASWARA rector Professor Ts. Dr Ruslan Abdul Rahim said the partnership is in line with the objectives of DAKEN 2021 which concentrates on the fields of arts, culture, and heritage in the context of media and creation.
“This will benefit all parties and certainly highlights the importance of impactful collaborations between academia and industries.
“We hope this collaboration will be an added value in enhancing our academic development, whilst promoting ASWARA globally,” he said.
Canon highlighted education as one of its key social contribution activities, and the company is committed to providing essential imaging solutions and technology sharing by industry experts with ASWARA to create avenues of opportunity for students and fully utilise its capabilities to help elevate the students’ creative expressions.
Steered by their ‘Kyosei’ principle to work together for the common good, they will also play a role as a key industrial partner towards ASWARA’s students in terms of engagement, research collaboration and career exposure.
