The first Ikram Skills and Retraining Academy (ISRA) convocation, since its inception in April 2008, was held on the 13th of December 2008 at Ibnu Khaldun Hall, in Ikram Park. It was a joyous moment for the graduates, trainers, academy?s management team and all those who have helped to make the academy a success in one way or another. Deepest congratulations to the graduates for their perseverance and hard work and also to ISRA, in particular for the vision and contributions in the field of training. With the advent of the twenty first century - an age of information and communication technology - ISRA finds itself at the crossroad of realigning itself to keep abreast with the changing world. ISRA provides a unique opportunity for its students to acquire a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge and understanding of various skills

The first batch of graduates comprised of 140 trainees, with 114 from the electrical course, 17 from the automotive course, 5 from the computer system course and 4 from the information system course. The guest of honour was YBhg Tan Sri Dato? Othman bin Mohd Rijal, Chairman of Kumpulan Ikram Sdn Bhd while the invited distinguished guests include the ISRA board of directors, Ir Tan Swee Kee, Puan Noreena Datuk Abdul Hamid, Mr. Hicham Boudjit and Mr Taufik Abdul Rahim.

The ceremony began with a recital of a doa delivered by Ustaz Dr Haji Mohammad Balghith, followed by a rendition of the National Anthem as well as the Kumpulan Ikram corporate song. Next was the welcoming address from Ir Tan Swee Kee as the Chief Executive Officer of ISRA, preceeding the opening speech by the guest-of-honour. YBhg Tan Sri Dato Othman, reiterated the importance of keeping pace with the rapid changes in the world with regard to social, economic and technological advancements, in order to make training and skills relevant to the needs of the people. He further added that many education centers in Malaysia are now paying more attention to skills and training studies, before he declared the convocation open.

The ceremony continued with the performance of the silat cekak by a team from Persatuan Mangku Mekar Bumi and a recital of a poem by one of ISRA?s trainers. This was then followed by the presentation of scrolls to the graduates by Y.Bhg Tan Sri Othman. Before the curtains were drawn down, Ustaz Dr Haji Mohammad Balghith read the closing doa, bringing the historical first ISRA convocation to a successful ending.