S’wak Petchem: Over 100 technicians ready for Bintulu mega methanol plant
KUCHING: Sarawak Petchem will have more than 100 young technicians working in its first mega methanol plant in Bintulu after the second batch of its 43 has successfully completed their Technician Training Programme (TTP) at Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas (INSTEP) in Kuala Terengganu recently.
The one-year training programme at INSTEP was a comprehensive pre-employment programme designed by Petronas to produce job-ready technicians with the essential technical competencies and generative culture mindset required by the petrochemical industry.
The experiential learning at INSTEP’s live training plant, namely Upstream Downstream Training Plant (UDTP), allows them to perform relevant activities with various real-plant scenarios under non-hazardous environment in order to further enhance their competencies.
The two-semester programme exposed them to four key trades in a petrochemical plant namely Operation, Mechanical, Electrical and Instrumentation.
During the first semester, they went through theoretical learning via hybrid mode (Physical and Virtual InstructorLed Training or VILT) covering a wide range of modules such as Production, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) among others.
The second semester provided them with six months of blended training of theoretical learning, hands-on learning at practical workshops, and experiential learning at UDTP.
To further enhance their readiness and capability to operate Sarawak’s first methanol plant, they will further undergo an On Job Training (OJT) at selected Petronas plants in Bintulu and Labuan for another three months.
Sarawak Petchem chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain congratulated the technicians for completing the programme on time despite the challenges and impacts arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also applauded INSTEP for their efforts in making the programme a huge success.
“The strategic partnership between INSTEP and Sarawak Petchem is a strong illustration of smart partnership, in developing and providing young talents with the essential skills and capability to be fit as a competent workforce in delivering the landmark of Sarawak Methanol Project by 2024,” he said.
One of the technicians, Azri Ibrahim, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the privilege and golden opportunity given by Sarawak Petchem to become one of the ‘pioneers’ to work in the first petrochemical methanol plant in Sarawak.
“This life-changing opportunity is rare and I would like to thank Sarawak Petchem for choosing and believing in me and my fellow technicians.
“It is my obligation to apply the knowledge and skills learnt at INSTEP in support of Sarawak’s oil and gas ventures and growth,” he said.
In August 2021, Sarawak Petchem sponsored a total of 116 trainees to undergo the TTP training at INSTEP and the first batch of 73 trainees will be completing their OJT very soon.
They will be part of the team to be involved in the precommissioning, commissioning and start-up of the methanol plant next year.
The Sarawak Methanol Project plays a significant role in providing opportunities for local talents to flourish and prove their capabilities in the petrochemical industry, and at the same time, helps support the Sarawak’s agenda of becoming a high-income economy by 2030.