By Ts Dr Amar Hisham Jaaffar and Ts. Mahlindayu Tarmidi

When people hear the word technologist, they often picture an engineer in a hard hat or a programmer behind a glowing screen.

But technology today is far wider than that image. It is about people – their ideas, creativity and sense of purpose – and how knowledge can be used to make life better for everyone.

This year, the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) celebrates its 10th anniversary under the Technologists and Technicians Act 2015 (Act 768). In only a decade, MBOT has grown into a respected national body representing more than 63,000 professionals across 24 technology and technical fields, including Green Technology, Cyber Security, Health Sciences and Food Technology.

A joint study by the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) and MBOT, Badges of Progress (2025), found that the professional titles Ts and Tc have become part of Malaysia’s modern identity. The study shows how MBOT links technical expertise with human progress and reminds us that technology is not only about what we build, but also about the values that guide it.

The strength of MBOT lies in its inclusivity. The title of technologist is not confined to engineers or scientists. MBOT also recognises professionals from the social sciences, management and education who advance technology through innovation, research and leadership.

Its pathway begins with registration as a Graduate Technologist and progresses to Professional Technologist (Ts) status after relevant experience and assessment. Members are encouraged to keep learning through research, training and community projects that bring practical results.

This approach values contribution more than convention. It reflects the belief that technology thrives when people from different disciplines work together for the common good.

My Journey Through Green Technology

By Ts Dr Amar Hisham Jaaffar

My academic roots are in the social sciences, focusing on positive environmental behaviour, environmental awareness and corporate sustainability. These foundations shaped my work in the energy sector, where understanding people is as vital as understanding systems.

In renewable energy, the biggest challenge is rarely technical. It is human. Communities need to trust and understand new systems before they can accept them. Over the years, I have led projects that blend behavioural insight with green innovation – from energy-literacy programmes to community battery-storage initiatives and studies on sustainability practices.

These experiences became the basis of my application under MBOT’s Green Technology domain. Being recognised as a Professional Technologist confirmed my belief that progress in technology depends as much on empathy and ethics as on engineering. For me, being a technologist means linking innovation with people and ensuring that every advancement brings shared benefit.

My Journey Through Information and Communication Technology

By Ts Mahlindayu Tarmidi

My professional path began in management and accounting, where I first saw how technology could improve transparency and strengthen decision-making. That curiosity eventually became a passion for digital learning, data analytics and the use of artificial intelligence in education.

As an educator, I focus on how digital tools can make classrooms more creative, inclusive and engaging. Through mentoring and collaborative projects, I have helped lecturers and trainers adopt technologies that enhance teaching and learning. To me, technology is not about machines or software. It is about empowering people to learn, think and grow.

By documenting these projects and demonstrating measurable impact, I met MBOT’s professional standards and was recognised as a Professional Technologist in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). That recognition deepened my conviction that innovation flourishes when guided by sincerity, purpose and human connection.

Technology that begins and ends with people

Both of us share one conviction: technology reaches its highest purpose when it begins and ends with people.

Whether in renewable-energy systems or digital-learning environments, success depends on trust, communication and collaboration.

This human-centred view is crucial as Malaysia enters an age shaped by renewable energy, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. The country needs professionals who can combine technical mastery with social understanding, connecting complex systems with real human needs.

MBOT’s inclusive model makes this possible. It unites engineers, educators, economists and social scientists in one professional community, bound not by discipline but by a common mission – to ensure that technology truly serves humanity.

When disciplines converge

Collaboration between social-science-based and science-based technologists is now essential. Science and engineering design the systems; social sciences ensure those systems are trusted, accepted and sustained.

In the energy sector, engineers may design efficient solar and battery networks, while social scientists help communities build awareness and participation. In education, data specialists create digital platforms, while educators ensure that these platforms inspire creativity and inclusion.

When such perspectives meet, technology becomes more ethical, inclusive and sustainable. It grows with cultural understanding and community insight, not in isolation.

This is the spirit MBOT promotes – the joining of technical precision with human wisdom so that innovation remains meaningful and responsible.

A decade of trust and purpose

As MBOT enters its second decade, it represents more than professional recognition. It reflects Malaysia’s belief that technological progress and human development must advance together.

Through collaborations such as those with the British Computer Society (BCS) and the Technology and Technical Accreditation Council (TTAC), MBOT aligns Malaysia’s expertise with global standards including the Seoul Accord. These efforts strengthen Malaysia’s reputation as a nation of competent, globally recognised technologists.

Yet awareness still matters. Employers and institutions should see the Ts and Tc titles as marks of trust and quality. When professionals from every background are valued equally, Malaysia builds a culture of innovation that is balanced, ethical and ready for the future.

The new face of Malaysian technologists

To our colleagues in the social sciences, this is your moment to step forward.

Your work – in sustainability, education, economics, communication or policy – already shapes Malaysia’s technological story. Every time you help communities adapt to change, design better policies or apply knowledge to solve real problems, you advance technology.

MBOT provides the platform to formalise that contribution and to stand beside engineers and scientists as equal partners in shaping Malaysia’s future.

As the nation moves towards a low-carbon and knowledge-based economy, technologists will play a defining role. They are builders of systems and stewards of purpose. Each recognised technologist strengthens the country’s capacity to innovate responsibly, inclusively and with compassion.

For both of us, being recognised as Professional Technologists is more than a career milestone. It is a reminder that every innovation begins with people – and must always return to serve them.

-- BERNAMA

Ts Dr Amar Hisham Jaaffar is a Professional Technologist in Green Technology and Senior Lecturer at the College of Graduate Studies, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). His research explores environmental sustainability, low-carbon behaviour and the social dimensions of Malaysia’s energy transition.

Ts Mahlindayu Tarmidi is a Professional Technologist in Information and Communication Technology and Head of the Digital Learning Unit at the College of Graduate Studies, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). She specialises in digital learning, data analytics, artificial intelligence in education and technology-based community empowerment.