The telecom sector has been expanding exponentially in Myanmar within a span of couple of years. The TELECOM for YTU project responded to this development by setting up Telecommunication degree programs at Bachelor and Master levels in the partner university.

Key information

Support for Telecommunication Education, Research and Training at Yangon Technical University (TELECOM for YTU)

Project Budget€632 099 with MFA funding, total project budget €797 536
Project Duration:  1.3.2017–31.8.2020
Coordinating InstitutionUniversity of Oulu, Finland
Partner Institution(s)Yangon Technological University, Yangon, Myanmar

Project description and Key Results

The TELECOM for YTU project aimed to respond to the rapidly expanding telecommunications sector in Myanmar by setting up/ establishing Telecommunication degree programmes at Bachelor and Master levels at the partner university/higher education institution. By developing and improving higher education, the project aimed to contribute to developing the capacity of the growing telecommunications industry, which should alleviate poverty and narrow the country's digital divide in the long term.

The development of the new telecommunications curriculum was deemed successful with the first cohort of diploma students completing the programme in the summer of 2018, followed by the launch of the second diploma programme in 2019. Finally, the Bachelor’s programme (with 30 student intake) was also launched in December 2019.

The project demonstrated several strengths namely in the development of international industrial partnerships, initiatives in promoting gender equality, improving access to higher education, developing students with both technical and transferrable skills, and finally in addressing the global challenge of climate change.

The project also established clear linkages between the TELECOM for YTU project and industry, as seen in the fruitful collaboration with NOKIA and OOREDOO, in the form of student internships and also the new establishment of the new technology centre at YTU Department of Electronic Engineering.

See TELECOM for YTU's website