PENANG: Wawasan Open University (WOU) is strengthening its technology upskilling initiatives through new collaborations with Shanghai Real-Thread Electronic Technology Co Ltd (RT-Thread) and Lingkail Sdn Bhd.
The university signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the companies to strengthen the regional talent pipeline in Edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), embedded systems, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 technologies.
The collaborations combine RT-Thread’s open-source embedded systems ecosystem with Penang-based Lingkail’s experience in industrial digitalisation and smart manufacturing, with the aim of translating emerging technologies into practical workforce capabilities and industry applications.
Under the agreement with RT-Thread, both parties will explore opportunities in knowledge exchange, professional training, certification programmes, customised corporate training, industry workshops and collaborative research in embedded systems and IoT technologies.
Headquartered in Shanghai, RT-Thread is the primary developer, maintainer and operator of the open-source RT-Thread Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), which supports applications including smart devices, industrial automation, automotive electronics and edge computing.
Meanwhile, WOU’s collaboration with Lingkail will focus on helping organisations develop internal capabilities for smart manufacturing, connected factories and digital transformation.
Lingkail’s technical implementation experience will be incorporated into upskilling programmes addressing capability gaps among local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporations in areas including Industrial IoT (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), embedded systems, cloud integration and industrial digitalisation.
Both collaborations will be implemented through WOU Academy, the university’s corporate training arm.
The agreements were signed by WOU’s Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ts Dr Yap Eng Hwa; RT-Thread’s Head of University Partnership, Luo Qixi; and Lingkail’s Director, Dr Leow Cheah Wei.
Yap said the partnerships would enable WOU to connect global technology expertise with practical workforce development, particularly for organisations seeking to digitalise but facing gaps in technical expertise, workforce readiness or access to suitable training.
“By combining our partners’ technical and industrial experience with WOU’s academic quality, learning design and flexible delivery, we can develop targeted programmes that respond to specific operational needs and support organisations in building the capabilities required for Industry 4.0 adoption,” he said.
The signing ceremony was followed by the IoT Edge Intelligence Masterclass, jointly organised by WOU and RT-Thread.
The hands-on workshop provided participants with practical experience in RT-Thread RTOS fundamentals, peripheral and driver development, graphical user interface development using LVGL, as well as the deployment of AI models on the Edge E84 platform.
