Introduction
Background
On March 1, 2011, Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris was restructured and launched under the Chancellery. The history of this centre began on August 4, 2010, with the approval of its establishment under the Faculty of Management and Economics. The function of this centre is to support and facilitate the growth of entrepreneurship and small business by providing training, resources and support services to UPSI students. Promoting entrepreneurship and fostering economic growth within job creation have been the main goal of EDC since then. EDC has been assigned under the portfolio of the Chancellor’s office and reports directly to the Vice Chancellor.
The Graduate Employability Centre (GEC) was established as a unit within the Student and Community Transformation Centre, with the goal of increasing the graduate’s employability of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in accordance with industry needs. The Graduate Employability Unit was then renamed as the Graduate Employability Centre (GEC) in 2015. This change was made to allow GEC to emphasise programmes that help final-year students improve their skills and marketability.
After several years of establishment, another history was made. On May 16, 2017, the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) and the Graduate Employability Centre (GEC) had merged to form a holistic centre in taking advantage of both synergies. As a result from this merging, a centre that is called as the Entrepreneurial and Graduate Employability Centre (EDGE) was inaugurated.
In addition to supporting entrepreneurship and small business, the role of EDGE has expanded to a wider audience that related to student’s affairs and alumni. EDGE provides opportunities for its graduates and current students to participate in events, workshops, and programmes to help them develop their skills and network with other entrepreneurs.
On top of that, EDGE has been helping students transition into the workforce by connecting them with potential employers, offering resume-building and interview preparation workshops and helping them build their professional networks. Therefore, due to the expanded and significant roles, EDGE has been assigned under the portfolio of Department of Student Affairs and Alumni.