A Hand in Hand Initiative (HIHI) Workshop was successfully organized at the Faculty of Applied Science (FSG) UiTM Perak Branch Tapah Campus on 15th April 2023. The course was designed to address some of the challenges that lecturers encounter in the writing and publishing industries because of the highly challenging teaching and learning professions that are currently in place. Additionally, the Hand in Hand Initiative program approaches writing and publishing holistically, offering advice for managing the publishing industry in addition to concentrating on improving writing abilities.

This workshop was attended by 44 academics from the Faculty of Applied Science, including the Physics, Biology, and Chemistry departments of the Tapah Campus. It began with a sharing session led by Dr. Hasnun Nita binti Ismail, a field expert selected by the faculty. She provided advice on how to begin writing an article, what to emphasize during the writing process, and how to successfully publish the piece. Dr. Hasnun Nita also shared her expertise in authoring indexed proceedings articles for national and international journals. Intriguingly, she proposed that every article to be written should be planned with a “Gantt chart” to manage time intervals effectively until publication. The lecturers who attended this workshop were given a publication target form as an indication of achievement for each set of seminars held.

The publication target form was provided to the workshop participants as a measure of success for each series of sessions held. The academics present gave this workshop a positive response, believing that it should be implemented, as the allocated time could be effectively utilized for the writing session, which is one of the required Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for every lecturer at UiTM. Additionally, they anticipate that this workshop project will achieve greater success if all participating lecturers find motivation and strong support while sharing ideas, experiences, and writing successes with one another.

In conclusion, many writers, especially academics, encounter a variety of difficulties and obstructions in reaching their writing and publication goals in today’s fast-paced and competitive academic writing world. These challenges may include improving their knowledge of the publishing industry’s complexity or developing the courage to share their work with a wider audience. For writers hoping to reach their full potential, the Hand in Hand Initiative workshop stands out as a source of empowerment in this situation. Seven members of the authority, including lecturers Dr. Siti Mazleena Mohamed, Dr. Nurul Izza Taib, Puan Rabiatul Adawiyah Abdul Wahab, Puan Rosmawati Abdul Aziz, Puan Adibah Mohd Noor, and Puan Northaqifah Hasna Mohamed Khir, are in charge of this workshop, along with Dr. Nurul Ilham Adam as the program director.