Shell Malaysia to develop students’ capacity in STEM
KUCHING: Shell Malaysia has announced plans to develop the capacity of Malaysian students in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Its STEM education initiative, also known as the Shell STEM Immersion Programme aims at raising interest and increasing talent pool in STEM among youths, said a media release yesterday.
The statement added that the initiative also aimed to see an increase in Malaysian engineering graduates who “will foster innovative sustainable ideas to progress the future of the country.”
The announcement was made following a signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the State Workforce Development Unit (WDU) and other collaborators including Shell Malaysia.
According to the Science and Technology Human Capital Report and Science Outlook 2015 by Akademi Sains Malaysia, the country will face a shortage of human capital in the science field due to the country’s inability to meet the target of 60 per cent of students enrolled into the science stream in secondary schools which stands at less than 45 per cent, to date.
At the launch of Sarawak Career and Training (SCaT) 2017, director of state WDU Dr Abdul Rahman Deen was quoted as saying: “STEM skills are the lifeblood of this country’s high-tech industries, supporting growth and giving us the competitive edge.”
He said the state government had outlined key steps to strengthen the delivery of STEM across the education system in Sarawak.
“It has stepped up efforts to engage and work with nongovernmental bodies and industries who champion STEM for the progress of the state and nation.
“We believe that only through partnership can we equip Sarawak educators to properly deliver STEM education and bridge the STEM divide between the more urban and rural areas of Sarawak.
“We want to acknowledge Shell Malaysia especially, for partnering with us right from the start to bring SCaT and opportunities to the state,” he added.
Marking its 125th anniversary in Malaysia last year, Shell announced that it would focus on powering innovation and competitiveness to fuel Malaysia’s future.
It has committed to invest RM125 million over the next 10 years to fund Malaysian talent innovation and competitive initiatives that will further catalyse and spur economic growth.
“Shell has taken the initiative to focus on STEM in hopes that early exposure will influence students to take an early interest in fields like engineering, coding, automation and the likes, which will uplift the numbers of STEM graduates that will help meet national targets and aspirations.”
Meanwhile, Shell Malaysia chairman Datuk Iain Lo, who was also present at SCaT Fair 2017, said: “Science and engineering is at the heart of our business and critical to economic and social progress. Our aim is to contribute to the numbers of STEM graduates and see today’s Malaysian students lead discoveries in STEM on the world stage tomorrow.”
He added: “We believe that this begins at the classroom, that is why we are investing in our youths, equipping them with the right skills and tools, and developing future innovators and engineers via our STEM initiative.”
The Shell STEM initiative will kick off with a pilot programme across 15 schools nationwide, starting with five schools in Sarawak (two in Miri, two in Bintulu, and one in Kuching).