PRESTIGE 2018,  MGA’s annual flagship program  ended on bang on 30th September 2018  with a Panel Discussion “Navigating Your Future’ that was participated by industry leaders from PETRONAS, Shell and  ExxonMobil. The session was very interesting and engaging as the panelists shared candidly on their experience, anecdotes and perspectives on how they navigated  their career journey in the oil and gas industry. The Panel Discussion was the last session of this year’s PRESTIGE that took place in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 28 – 30th September 2018. The  2.5 day session saw MGA hosting  60 final year engineering students  and 6 lecturers from 4 universities, namely UMS, UNIMAS, Curtin and UNIKL.  The program also saw participations of industry leaders from MGA member companies who came forward to share their expertise and  supports that made PRESTIGE 2018 a sounding success.

As per previous years since its inception in 2008, PRESTIGE  2018 was designed to the maximum with eye-opening and interactive sessions that includes Technical Visit, Poster & Sharing Session and Panel Discussion. The program also incorporated fun in learning through  teambuilding session & team performance. The aim of PRESTIGE is to provide a platform to bridge the industry with academia towards enhancing awareness on the whole value chain of natural gas industry, the importance of HSE, and career opportunities, in the hope  of increasing their employability rate and preparedness in joining the industry upon graduation.

The program started  on a high note on the  afternoon of 28 September with a teambuilding session, facilitated by a local training  provider. Participants were challenged to break out of their comfort zone and think outside the box to solve activities to boost  team bonding, communication and trust. This followed by a networking dinner that was attended by, among other key guests, the CEO of Sabah Energy Corporation, Datuk Harun Hj Ismail who gave the welcoming remarks  and shared his perspective on Sabah gas industry.

As anticipated, Technical Visit  is one of the highlights of PRESTIGE program. This year’s participants were very fortunate that  they were taken to visit not one, but three different facilities in Kimanis, about 50 km from Kota Kinabalu.  The first stop was Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT), an integrated oil and gas terminal managed by Petronas Carigali Sabah Asset.  The terminal handles the production of oil and gas from the West Coast Field in South China Sea. The next stop was Kimanis Power Plant (KPP),   a three-blocks, gas-fired power plant which is a subsidiary of Petronas Gas Bhd. The plant utilises natural gas from offshore Sabah and is a key project in the ‘Power Up Sabah’ initiative, established under the Malaysian Economic Transformation Plan (ETP).   At both facilities, participants were briefed on the operations and were taken on tour of the facilities.

The final stop of the day is Tagal Kg Kinolosodon, a conservatory area for fish breeding, hence the name Tagal  (in Kadazan) or ‘di larang’ (in Malay) , which literally means that the fishes here are protected and not to be removed out of its habitat.  Participants were briefed on the operations and the HSE aspects that have been established at the Tagal to ensure that the place is safe for visitors.

The 3rd  and  final day saw participants  glued to their seats interacting and learning from industry leaders and subject matter experts on various subject from the  importance aspect of Malaysian gas industry to discussion on career opportunities, guide to securing the first job and other motivational sharing.    The session ended on a high note with Panel discussion on “Navigating Your Future’ followed by certificate & prize presentation.

The overall response was remarkable with event feedback of about 4.XX  over a scale of 5. However the general consensus indicated that the 2.5 days allocated  for PRESTIGE program was definitely too short as there is so much to learn and so many questions to ask ! In summary, it was   very heartening to know that PRESTIGE 2018 closed on a high note and once again surpassed the expectations of those who attended.  The organizing team wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Sabah Energy Corporation (SEC), PETRONAS, Shell, ExxonMobil and Rosen for their  unwavering supports and generous sponsorship.