KUALA NERUS – Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has once again achieved a proud milestone when it has been recognised as one of the nation’s leading institutions for graduate employability through the Talentbank Graduate Employability Index 2026, a national benchmark assessed directly by industry employers in Malaysia.

The recognition carries significant meaning as it reflects the high level of employer confidence in the quality of UMT graduates, particularly in terms of job readiness, professional competence, and actual workplace performance. More importantly, the evaluation also considers employers’ willingness to continue hiring graduates from the same university, making it a strong indicator of the reliability and added value of UMT graduates in the job market.

At the event, UMT also recorded a notable achievement when two of its key academic fields, Agriculture and Analytics, have been awarded the prestigious Talentbank 6-Star Employers’ Choice Award. Both fields have been ranked among the best in the country based on assessments by more than 1,200 employers from various industry sectors, including multinational corporations, government-linked companies (GLCs), and major industry players.

UMT continues to strengthen its graduate employability agenda through a strategic and focused approach led by the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Graduate Employability (UMT-GEM). At the ceremony, UMT was represented by the Director of UMT-GEM, Associate Professor Dr. Nor Fazliyana Mohtar, who received the recognition on behalf of the Vice Chancellor. The awards reflect the university’s ongoing commitment to enhancing industry collaboration and boosting graduate competitiveness.

UMT Vice Chancellor, Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Mohd Zamri Ibrahim, described the achievement as the result of collective efforts across the university ecosystem in elevating UMT to a higher level.

“This recognition proves that UMT’s education approach grounded in experiential learning, industry collaboration, and future skills development is on the right track,” he said.

He added that UMT will continue to strengthen its synergy with industry through various high-impact initiatives to ensure its graduates remain relevant, adaptive, and capable of contributing significantly to national development.

“The collaboration between UMT and Talentbank also opens up broader strategic networking opportunities, bringing together leading organisations within a dynamic ecosystem of cooperation. This not only expands career placement opportunities for graduates but also strengthens structured and high-impact talent development.”

He further noted that the achievement demonstrates the effectiveness of the university’s strategic plans and implementation efforts.

“This success reflects the effectiveness of UMT’s holistic approach in developing graduate employability through the integration of experiential learning, strategic industry collaboration, and the strengthening of entrepreneurial values among students.

“These efforts are also aligned with the aspirations of the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint (2026–2035), particularly Shift 1, which emphasises the development of human-centric, entrepreneurial, and adaptive learners. In line with this, the achievement serves as a catalyst for UMT to further intensify its efforts in strengthening graduate employability and student entrepreneurship in a more aggressive and strategic manner,” he said.