Delegates attend the centre's opening ceremony on Wednesday. — Photo courtesy of Siemens

Siemens Automation Training and Technology Transfer Centre debuted at Can Tho University on Wednesday as part of Siemens’ strong commitment to further supporting the engineering education in Viet Nam.

The launch of the centre followed a sponsor package worth about VND3.5 billion (over US$150,000) handed-over by Siemens to Can Tho University.

The package would support the university in fulfilling their important role as the biggest education, training and research centre in the Mekong Delta region of Viet Nam, as well as offer students the best practical exposure to the world’s state-of-the-art technology, thus enabling them to acquire useful knowledge and skills for their future career development, Siemens said in a statement.

“This is the automation training centre sponsored by Siemens with the most modern equipment in Viet Nam so far. The sponsorship from Siemens offers great opportunities for students and lecturers of Can Tho University as well as for Siemens partners in the Mekong Delta region to access, exploit and apply state-of-the-art technology. In particular, it will definitely contribute to the improvement of teaching and training quality at our university,” said Ha Thanh Toan, Rector of Can Tho University.

“Being recognised as one of the world’s most innovative and largest industrial software companies, Siemens will not only attract and retain talents, but also be responsible for contributing to Vietnamese education by making use of its experience and advanced technologies," said Pham Thai Lai, President and CEO of Siemens ASEAN and Viet Nam.

"This sponsoring project, therefore, is believed to make critical changes towards advancing future generation of Vietnamese engineers and scientists. Together with many other past and existing cooperation and initiatives in education, it will significantly help prepare Viet Nam’s skilled workforce to support the country in leading the digital transformation and unleashing the potential of Industry 4.0,” he said.

Earlier, the different packages have also been offered to six other big universities across Viet Nam. The total commercial value of this sponsoring project by Siemens Vietnam Digital Industries is around VND20 billion.

Siemens’ most advanced software, such as TIA Portal, and hardware, such as SIMATIC Controller, will enable these universities to enhance their education and training activities, as well as to keep abreast of current and future needs of businesses and manufacturers.

Besides, Siemens' local experts will provide continuous support for teachers and trainers so that they can stay updated with the latest technologies and apply them in class. — VNS