Petronas BeDigital Bootcamp strengthens Sabah talent’s digital literacy
KOTA KINABALU: Petronas continues to provide talented locals in Sabah with opportunities to further their aspirations by equipping them with future-proof skills for their careers through its BeDigital Bootcamp programme.
Nur Fatihah Azhan Borhan from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) was elated when she heard that she was chosen to be part of the BeDigital Bootcamp.
The 24-year-old, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Accountancy, said she initially did not have high hopes when applying for the programme as around 300 people had applied but only 100 were chosen.
“At first it was a bit daunting for me because most of the participants possess engineering or digital backgrounds whereas I am an accounting student.
“However, all of us managed to work as a collective unit despite being in different fields. I think this is great as it allowed us to share our knowledge and experiences even though we come from varying backgrounds of study,” she told reporters after the closing ceremony of the seventh cohort of the BeDigital BootCamp, held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here earlier this month.
Nur Fatihah shone brightly at the programme as she led her team to earn a nomination for the Best Group award, and she even took home the Best Camper award.
“I did not expect to win the Best Camper award. All I wanted to do was learn and make new friends. This programme was certainly memorable for me,” she said.
The BeDigital Bootcamp is a 12-day curated programme aimed at enhancing local undergraduates’ digital literacy to increase employability while meeting the demands of current and future job markets.
A total of 100 students had graduated from the seventh cohort.
Mohd Aiman Jamil from
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) was one of the five students to receive a conditional job offer upon completion of the programme.
The Semporna-born is the first in his family to venture into the oil and gas sector and hopes to inspire his two siblings to achieve the same level of success in the future.
“I want to be a living proof to my siblings that if you work hard enough and dream big, opportunities will come to you,” he said.
The 23-year-old mechanical engineering student hopes to achieve his personal and professional goals with the experience he had gained from the bootcamp.
“I am proud and thankful to God for what I have achieved today. The BeDigital Bootcamp was such a wonderful and memorable experience for me, and I really appreciate being one of the participants,” he said.
Aiman shared that the bootcamp was exciting right from the ice-breaking ceremony as he got to meet and exchange ideas with other brilliant, likeminded youths.
Aside from being exposed to new backgrounds of study, Aiman and the other participants also learned about new skills such as effective resume writing and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Thierry Jeremiah Lee, a 23year-old student from UMS whose team won the Best Pitch award during the Shark Tank, said one of his favourite modules from the programme was the introduction to cybersecurity.
During the first week of the programme, there were a lot of gamified challenges that he enjoyed, and besides digital literacy, he also learned about how to build a resume and make it look good for interviewers.
Thierry, who also hails from Kota Kinabalu, said the programme taught him about cloud computing and AI-related modules. He believes that such knowledge would help him in his search for a job.
As such, he urged youths to take part in the BeDigital Bootcamp due to the various skills, knowledge and experience that it offers to the participants.
“Just sign yourself up without any expectations and participate to have fun and meet new people. The job, whether you land it or not, is always secondary to the people you meet and the connections you make,” he said.
The seventh cohort of the Petronas BeDigital Bootcamp received a total of five conditional job offers from Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, Quorum Software and Wehaya Sdn Bhd, while 17 internship placements were provided by Petronas, Qhazanah Sabah Berhad, Kota Kinabalu Marriott Hotel and Wehaya Sdn Bhd.
Meanwhile, Petronas Group Technology and Commercialisation vice president Aadrin Azly said the annual programme is aimed at enhancing local undergraduates’ employability while improving the digital skills or aptitude of graduates in Malaysia.
He said Petronas looks to continue expanding this programme by adding new modules relevant to skills in demand. This year, two new modules were added, namely AI and Cybersecurity.
“Aside from these two new modules, one module that we brought back due to popular request was Digital Entrepreneurship, where participants come up with ideas and pitch them in a Shark Tank concept.
“The programme also offers a module relating to data, specifically focusing on the development of popular software, data integrity, and data literacy.
“From time to time, we will continue to discuss with industry players on which modules are required to align with current trends, and we will make further enhancements from there,” he said.