Hajiji, Masidi clear path for Sabah’s future in oil and gas
Published on: Sunday, September 04, 2022
By: Datuk John Lo
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The Sabah Government, under CM Datuk Seri Hajiji and assisted by Datuk Seri Masidi, has made historical progress in regaining Sabah’s rights in the oil and gas industry. I have written on their “triumphs” several times but are worth repeating as they are important milestones for Sabah [a] Commercial Collaborative Agreement. [b] Sabah Gas Master Plan. [c] LNG Plant now under construction in Sogit. [d] Formation of SMJ Petroleum Sdn Bhd. to manage these agreements and more to come.
These mark important progress which must be made to position Sabah to retake our rightful place in this industry. These achievements can be more meaningful if , especially young Sabahans can find successful carriers in this industry rather than watching non-Sabahans filling up all these well-paid jobs in oil/gas.
For Sabahans First Policy to produce impact down to young Sabahans [a] firstly, there must be jobs available for them. Right now, many jobs are already waiting for young Sabahans. As implementations of the various projects resulting from Hajiji’s regain of Sabah’s oil/gas rights, many more jobs for young Sabahans will come. In fact, there is a real possibility that the shortage of young Sabahans for this industry will increase exponentially.
[b] Secondly, for them to be able to take on these jobs, they must possess the appropriate qualifications and skills. Unlike jobs in many industries, the oil/gas industries require a high level of training and skill.
Hajiji’s endeavours in regaining Sabah’s rights in oil/gas will require many more Sabahans to work in this industry.
Besides giving tremendous efforts to sort out the “big things” in oil and gas with the federal government and Petronas, Hajiji is also worrying the worker-shortage, hence his encouragement on young Sabahans to go for training and qualifications to meet the increasing demand for skilled workers.
Areas where young Sabahans can grab employment are in the upstream explorations, particularly in exploration and platforms in and around Sabah’s offshore, downstream gas power generation and related industry.
The investments in Sogip, total RM19.8 billion, will require numerous staff. Suitable young Sabahans should consider taking up the new challenges in the oil/gas industry.
One major factor in Sarawak’s success in the oil/gas industry is that young Sarawakians ventured into this industry some 30 years ago, hence it can build up the human capacity for its growth.
In his speech at the graduation of 90 students for BTEC course at TAS Oil and Gas Institute, Hajiji stressed the great importance of the development of human capital under his SMJ vision for Sabah.
Towards this end, he has allocated a substantial amount of money in his 2022 budget for this purpose. His number one objective is the creation of jobs for Sabahans, especially young Sabahans. Sabah must have our own skilled workers urgently.
Why TAS Institute for Oil and Gas?
The TAS Institute of Oil and Gas in KKIP is the only institute to offer a variety of training courses with various duration in oil/gas in Sabah. For samples, [a] CRO ER (Control Room Operator Emergency Response) Training and Assessment. [b] OTS (Operator Training Simulator) Training and Assessment. [c] OIM MME (Offshore Installation Manager Management of Major Emergencies) Training and Assessment. [d] ECT (Emergency Coordination Team) Training and Drill. [e] CMT (Crisis Management Team) Training and Drill. [f] RRT (Relative Response Team) Training and Drill. [g] BTEC diplomas from world renowned Pearson is for high-quality, career-focused qualifications grounded in the real world of work.
BTEC is recognised and accepted internationally in the oil/gas industry.
The relevancy and quality of the course contents are most important. For Example, upon graduation from an 18-month BTEC course, a graduate can commence work in the industry without further training.
https://www.google.com/search?q=tas+institute&rlz=1C1CHBF_enMY728MY728&oq=TAS&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j69i59j46i131i175i199i433i512j46i131i433i512l2j46i433i512j46i131i433i512j46i433i512j0i433i512j0i271.4104j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
TAS has world-wide certification partners and corporations in oil/gas.
Most importantly, TAS has partners with a number of well-known institutions like Pearson. Pearson owns the BTEC brand name and is the world’s largest awarding institution for certificates in oil/gas. Its certificates are recognised in the oil/gas industry worldwide.
Equally important TAS has a number of corporations who are majors in the oil/gas industry, like Shell as partners.
https://www.pearson.com/asia/industry/oil-gas.html
University Degree in engineering vs a course in TAS.
Many parents aspire their children to go to university which is worthy of praise. I do not wish to pose any discouragement for their aspiration. However, they should research the followings: [a] Cost, especially in a foreign university. [b] Length of course. [c] Job prospects. [d] Most importantly, income potentials.
It is true that jobs in oil/gas are not for everyone but for those who can enter this industry, the overall prospects can be very attractive, more attractive than a degree holder after a few years of working.
By the time a university graduate in engineering has completed his degree in 4 to 5 years, a TAS graduate would have worked for at least 3 years.
His renumeration would be substantially bigger than a fresh university graduate.
A TAS course may be the answer for unemployed graduates.
Sabah has the highest number of unemployed university graduates. Many are working in low-pay jobs in W Malaysia. The number could be even bigger in Sabah.
This is a sad situation. They may want to consider seeking a future in the oil/gas industry in which case, TAS may be their solution.
As I have mentioned earlier on, Sabah will require more Sabahan youths to enter the oil/gas industry.
A sad day for Sabah if non-Sabahans were to fill the jobs created by Hajiji’s efforts to regain Sabah’s oil/gas rights.
Job opportunities will increase exponentially as Hajiji’s strategy in oil/gas is being progressively implemented. Sabah needs young Sabahans to be in the oil/gas industry.
- The views expressed here are the views of the writer Datuk John Lo and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express.
- If you have something to share, write to us at: [email protected]
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