His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam handing out a certificate to one of the UTB graduates.

Congratulation to all the graduates of UTB’s 6th convocation. Gracing the ceremony was His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam where 461 graduates compromising of Master’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree and Level 5 Higher National Diploma graduates, being held at the International Convention Centre.

Technology was highlight in His Majesty’s titah in welcoming an establishment of a new research centre designed to boost national agricultural capacity through the means of technology.

The centre will be called CrAFT which stands for Centre for Research on Agr-Food Science and Technology.

His Majesty was also pleased with UTB’s milestone as it was listed at 442nd place on the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. It is also rated as a five-star university by QS and ranked 57 for Young Global University under 50 years of age.

For those interested to buy photos of their graduation, you can simply click here and the photos will be available on 1st October 2018 for viewing. Images courtesy of Dean Kassim

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Team captain of Vanguards, from Universiti Teknologi Brunei receiving rugby kit from Fergus Lim, the Managing Director of Spectre. The hand over ceremony took place at Fitness Zone.

The men’s and ladies Vanguards

A local rugby team, Vanguards, from Universiti Teknologi Brunei, had a major boost as they secured two big sponsorship from Fitness Zone and Spectre Development. The former will provide access to the Vanguards players to use the facilities as Fitness Zone in preparation for the upcoming touch rugby tournaments while the latter, Spectre, have sponsored the team rugby kits as well as registration fees for the tournament.

For your info, Spectre is a land development company that specialises in developing residential properties in Brunei Darussalam. It’s still a very new company as mentioned by Fergus Lim, the Managing Director of Spectre. The company focuses on providing quality houses within their budgets. The reason why Spectre offered the sponsorship is because it’s one of Spectre’s missions to encourage the youth of the nation to lead a healthier lifestyle.

For more updates, you can follow them on their instagram @utbvanguards.rfc @fitnesszonebrunei @spectre_development

Representing the men’s Vanguards team

Representing the ladies’ Vanguards team

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, and Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Brunei’s (UTB) has urged UTB to create a curriculum that reinforces entrepreneurial spirit among graduates.

Delivering a titah at UTB Convocation Ceremony 2016, His Majesty said, “Alhamdulillah, I have heard that graduates from UTB are capable in meeting the needs of the job market. But at the same time, their involvement in entrepreneurship is still at a low level. Therefore, it is time for UTB to put in efforts to reform its curriculum to ensure that entrepreneurial spirit and opportunities are better developed at a much earlier stage.”

His Majesty hailed UTB for upgrading its status and the successful expansion of study programmes, as yesterday’s graduation ceremony involved 12 degree programmes.

It was the 4th Bachelor’s Degree graduation convocation and the 25th Higher National Diploma (HND) convocation of the university.

His Majesty congratulated UTB’s new graduates and wished that their achievement will be a catalyst for future success. The monarch also congratulated the parents and guardians of the new graduates as well as the academicians who worked hard to ensure the students stayed on the right path throughout their studies.

Commending the decision to upgrade Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) to UTB after reaching 30 years of its establishment, His Majesty hoped that with the new name, UTB will augment its efforts to fulfil the objective, mission and vision of the institution. Whatever is planned and implemented must conform to the national philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), the monarch reiterated.

Acknowledging the success of the university which saw the first graduation of students from 12 degree programmes that were first introduced in 2012 (in 2009-2011, UTB (then ITB) only had four programmes), His Majesty said that this is a proud achievement for UTB that has diversified or enlarged the number of study options available for students, and urged UTB to continue expanding and introducing other study programmes that are relevant towards realising the nation’s economic development.

Touching on sources of jobs from the non-oil and gas sector, His Majesty took note of the establishment of the School of Applied Sciences and Mathematics that offers Bachelor’s Degree programme in Food Science and Technology. “The programme, among others, is hoped to support the growth of the country’s food industry and make it more competitive in the international arena.”

His Majesty also stressed on the importance of accreditation for professional programmes, stating that efforts towards it can enhance the level of skills and marketability of graduates.

“I am delighted to know that the UTB School of Computing and Informatics has been accredited by the British Computer Society, which is an international professional body. In a period of global economic uncertainties, the initiative towards accreditation can save the cost of training incurred by employers,” the monarch said.

His Majesty also urged that in facing the world economic crisis, UTB and other public higher learning institutions must show prudence in spending and not rely fully on government. Text by Azaraimy of Borneo Bulletin and images by @haqimie267