MISC Integrated Annual Report 2020

MARITIME EDUCATION & TRAINING Sustainability Pillar Initiatives and outcomes Customers The interactions ALAM has with our customers are with our students and their parents. When the MCO was announced and students had to return home as lockdowns were enforced, ALAM facilitated this by arranging for buses to transport them home. We allowed some students to remain on campus, due to poor internet connectivity at home as we pivoted lessons online. As part of our efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic, ALAM enforced compulsory pre-entrance tests. Several cases were detected during the COVID-19 testing process, and the affected individuals were transferred to MOH in line with guidelines. We also quarantined cadets for a period of 10 days when they returned to campus from their respective hometowns according to MOH quarantine requirements. Adapting to the new norms, we conducted an online induction programme for our new batch of students via Microsoft Teams. All announcements were made directly to the students, including those who continued classes via online platforms. Governance and Business Ethics During the year, ALAM’s employees were active participants of the ‘See. Speak. Support’ programme and the Annual Compliance Culture Survey. Employees In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, ALAM established the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as soon as the MCO was announced to take steps to control the spread of the virus amongst employees and students. This ensured ALAM was able to continue providing maritime academic and training courses, as it continued operating safely. ALAM introduced and implemented the Pandemic Response Team (PRT), and took proactive steps and precautionary measures to prevent the transmission of the virus for all stakeholders. The PRT team was headed by the Ketua Eksekutif with members comprising representatives from various departments. Among the activities held were: • HSE Briefing on Safety and COVID-19 SOP for the main contractors such as housekeeping, cleaning and landscaping • COVID-19 SOP briefing for students • Established COVID-19 hotlines • Established ALAM’s COVID-19 SOP post-MCO, which was endorsed by the Marine Department of Malaysia The MMASB townhall was held on 25 August 2020 as a key employee engagement during the year. We continued to develop our talents, through the following training programmes: • International Multidisciplinary Conference on Education, Social Science & Technology (IMCEST 2020) • Integrated Reporting (Practitioner level) • Preventive Conservation Training • Financial Modelling in Excel Training • Seminar On Anti-Bribery Management System • Oil Spill Training IMO Level 2 • COVID-19 Preparedness - Training for Frontliners • ISO 37001:2016 Introduction@Melaka • Workshop Development on Bribery Risk Assessment • Certificate in Anti-Corruption Compliance • Online Training on Security Management Systems; Basic Law; and Awareness on Fitness • AED and alcohol test training • Training of Trainers IMO 6.09 • General Operator Certificate Revalidation Sustainability Pillar Initiatives and Outcomes Environment In early 2020 before the onset of the pandemic, ALAM conducted a mini-campaign roadshow for the Biodiversity Conservation Programme at our campus in collaboration with Reef Check Malaysia. The awareness and sharing sessions created greater understanding of the importance of conservation amongst our student community. A total of 34 students participated in the event. In July 2020, we embarked on initiatives aimed at obtaining Green Seal Certification. This encompassed activities such as purchasing of recycling bins, use of environmentally friendly paper, and implementation of energy and water conservation measures. ALAM was certified as Green Seal Office Partner on 22 December 2020, valid for a period of two years. As part of our energy and water conservation efforts, ALAM participated in the Water and Energy Savings Campaign in late 2020. Approximately 170 posters and signages were distributed around the campus and several e-mails were sent to all our employees to create awareness on the objective of the campaign and to encourage them to contribute. We also maintained our efforts to replace all our lightings with energy saving LED lights. In November 2020, to enhance awareness on waste management amongst our contractors, we conducted an awareness briefing on solid waste management compliance. Attended by our contractors’ representatives, the session shared information and raised awareness on matters relating to legal compliance of solid waste management. MOVING FORWARD We expect the year ahead to remain challenging and for competition to intensify amongst the education providers. The recovery process from the pandemic is expected to be a long- drawn affair, as it is highly dependent on the effectiveness and the efficiency for vaccines to be produced and disseminated to the masses. With the prolonged economic crisis brought on by the pandemic that subsequently resulted in tighter employment market, ALAM foresees a shortfall in demand due to many uncertainties. The expected drop in demand for seafarers’ professional development from industry players will impact the students’ enrolment numbers. To mitigate this, ALAM will leverage on other market segments such as the compulsory STCW courses including revalidation courses and continue with our ports and terminal simulation study and research projects. As part of our long-term goal to sustain ALAM’s status as a premier MET institution, we will look inwardly in building our capacities for future growth, by evolving our marketing strategies in line with the new normal. We will explore opportunities to expand our market presence, provided that the market environment is stable. We have identified a twin strategy of offering courses both at our campus and online and are ready to offer up to 70 STCW courses in line with this strategy. We also plan to offer more home-grown programmes which will set us apart from competitors. To open up education opportunities for students and develop a pool of talent for the industry, we will explore external funding and sponsorship sources for our various programmes and courses. These include the Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN or the National Higher Education Corporation Fund) for the cadet programme, Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan Kemahiran (PTPK or Skills Development Corporation Fund) for SKM rating programmes, as well as state and federal levels education funds for cadetship and rating programmes. In addition, we will also consider approaching financial institutions and banks as a potential funding alternatives. A new area we will explore is playing a bridging role for students who would like to pursue employment opportunities within the cruise ship sector. We remain fully committed to providing the highest quality of education to our student community, and to provide them with the support they require to remain on course with their studies. SUSTAINABILITY Our sustainability initiatives at ALAM were as follows: ///// Sustainability / Financial Review / Business Review / Leadership / Governance /// MISC Berhad / Integrated Annual Report 2020 7 188 MISC Berhad / Integrated Annual Report 2020 7 189 /// Governance / Leadership / Business Review / Financial Review / Sustainability ///// Section Section