Govt to train more skilled workers for oil and gas industry
KOTA KINABALU:
The State Government, in response to the growing demand for skilled workers in the oil and gas industry, will provide more training programs in this area of work. Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai said that appropriate emphasis would be given to increasing the local workforce for the up and coming industry. “The oil and gas industry in Sabah is increasing in importance and it is foreseeable in the near future that there will be a demand as far as the employment is concerned in this area of profession,” he said when met at the State Human Resource Development (JPSM) 20th anniversary celebrations here yesterday. According to Yee, the State Government is fully aware of the lack of local workforce in the industry and will therefore address the problem by increasing the number of training programs. “This will be part of our human resource training program and part of the strategy of course is to provide more training programs in this area of work. Our Ministry which is responsible for most of the training in the State, will give the appropriate emphasis in this area of training to ensure that the up and coming oil and gas industry will have the constant supply of skilled technicians to provide the necessary support for this developing industry,” he stressed. When asked to comment about the non-interest of Sabahans to work in the offshore oil and gas industry, Yee replied, “It is a chicken and egg situatioi. (In fact) there are not many Sabahans who are aware of this area of work. “But the moment they are given more information on the potential of this area of work, there will be more and more young people wanting to be trained and take up employment in this area of work,” he said. Yee added that employment in the oil and gas industry is a very skilled type of profession and the training would of course involve some time but the end result would be very satisfying. To a question if the Government would be working with oil companies to create awareness on the job opportunities that are available in the industry, Yee said that the working relation between both parties had already been established. “We have been working closely with the oil companies like Petronas and Shell and the companies even provide scholarships, for example, in the area of human resource training. The relationship has been there and we will enhance it,” he said.
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