MGA’s PRESTIGE Programme Promotes Sustainable Talent Pipeline Needed for a Successful Energy Transition
Putrajaya, 21 October 2022 – As part of advancing human capital development and attracting younger generations towards a technical career in the oil & gas industry, Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) is organising its annual Program on Energy Sustainability & Transition and Insights to Graduate Engineers (PRESTIGE) 2022 happening from 21-23 October 2022 in Putrajaya.
Aimed to educate the students with a range of holistic and educational programmes around energy transition, sustainability and insights into the oil & gas industry, PRESTIGE 2022 will be participated by 60 engineering graduates from 6 Universities in Malaysia, namely Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Monash University Malaysia.
“The three-day residential programme is designed to expose final year engineering students to both conceptual and practical aspects of careers in engineering. It’s a mixture of classroom education covering current topics such as energy trilemma, energy transition, HSSE and ESG, a technical visit to engineering facilities and engagements with seasoned professionals who will offer insights into their respective careers in the oil & gas industry. We strongly believe that it is MGA’s duty as the lead advocate for the Malaysian gas industry to proactively promote careers in engineering in order to ensure a continuous pipeline of talents needed to ensure the sustainability of the gas industry. This is especially considering the decline in enrolment in STEM as reported by several universities in Malaysia. With a comprehensive natural gas value chain from upstream, midstream to downstream, and as an industry that brings more than RM135 billion annually and employs over 80,000 in the wider economy, Malaysian gas industry offers many career opportunities,” said Abdul Aziz Othman, MGA President in his statement.
Organised in the backdrop of the global energy crisis, climate change concerns and the nation’s commitment to achieving net-zero emission (NZE) by 2050, PRESTIGE offers a platform for students and industry experts to discuss how the nation can tackle energy trilemma and at the same time set Malaysia on a path towards pragmatic energy transition.
“As the cleanest and most efficient fossil fuel that has the right characteristics to partner with renewables, natural gas is an important element in an orderly transition towards achieving NZE. The importance of natural gas was underlined in the recently launched National Energy Policy (NEP) 2022-2040 where at least half of the initiatives in the Policy will have a high impact on gas demand. It is important that our future young graduates break new grounds and continue to drive the Malaysian gas industry towards a vibrant and sustainable industry. A successful energy transition that is balanced with equitable socio-economic development would not be possible without continuous pipeline of competent young engineers and future leaders,” added Abdul Aziz.