At a simple ceremony held at Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.'s Alor Gajah plant today, one unit of Honda Accord was donated to Institut Kemahiran MARA (IKM), Jasin.

This donation marked the fourth vehicle contribution by Honda Malaysia to IKM. Honda Malaysia had previously donated two CR-Vs and one Honda City to IKM in 2003. The vehicle donated to IKM will be used for learning purposes; to enable the students to have a practical and hands-on skills training.

At the ceremony, a MOU was signed between Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. Vice President Mr. Kenji Tanaka and IKM Deputy Principal for Academic Affairs, En. Mohd Razaki bin Abdullah to mark the donation. It was witnessed by Senior General Manager of Honda Malaysia Mr. Kitaro Ishiwata and Course Coordinator of IKM, En.Hamzah Bin Johari.

A plant tour was organized specially for the visitors from IKM after the MOU signing ceremony to share with them Honda's car production processes and practices.

Commenting on the donation, Mr. Kenji Tanaka, Vice President of Honda Malaysia said, "Honda Malaysia started operations in 2002 at Alor Gajah, Malacca. In the first 5 years, we emphasized on stabilizing production and developing Honda Malaysia's associates. It is time for Honda Malaysia to contribute back to the society especially in Malacca where we are located. This is in line with Honda's mission to become a company that society wants to exist."

"We hope that with this car donation, students at IKM will have the opportunity to have a good grasp of the latest technology available in the automotive industry."

In his speech, Deputy Principal of IKM, En. Mohd Razaki bin Abdullah said that the kindness of Honda Malaysia in donating one unit of Honda Accord to Institut Kemahiran MARA Jasin for training purposes has inspired them to produce better quality students.

"As a leader in advanced automotive technology, our students can learn much from Honda," added En. Mohd Razaki.

IKM Jasin Melaka is a vocational institute established by the government through MARA to offer skills training to bumiputeras. Currently, IKM Jasin Malacca offers 12 courses such as Diploma in Automotive Engineering in 14 institutes throughout the country.