British Council together with Kraftangan Malaysia and Institut Kraf Negara (IKN) presented a series of networking events in October 2019 to connect IKN to other educational institutions and industry and creative practitioners to further expand collaboration pathways for crafts and relevant sectors as well as to facilitate the exchange of ideas on how Kraftangan and IKN can further improve craft education for future artisans.
The sessions were held over 3 days at IKN’s Rawang campus. In attendance were representatives from HELP University, Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara Rembau, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Malaysian Craft Council, Malaysian Official Designers’ Association (MODA), Ministry of Education, Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM), PINTAR Foundation, University Malaysia Kelantan, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), various craft entrepreneurs, designers, creatives, consultants and of course representatives from Kraftangan and Institut Kraf Negara.
Topics covered include how to ensure craft education remains relevant and responsive, strategies for attracting future artisans and creating employability pathways, avenues for tertiary education for IKN students, strategies for IKN to position themselves as a creative hub for crafts. The ideas and suggestions generated from these discussions will feed into future planning for both Kraftangan and IKN in their efforts to continue growing the craft and craft education sector.