KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) will continue to strengthen its operations by further improving its infrastructure and facilities to serve the people of Sarawak.
Aside from corporate development, SEB will also undertake several corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes this year, says group chief executive officer Sharbini Suhaili.
“In 2017, we aim to continue this effort further by reaching out to the wider community, and working in partnership with relevant parties to bring wider societal impact,” he told The Borneo Post in a recent interview.
“Aside from our CSR programmes in Murum and Baram, we will focus on Baleh which we have already initiated.
“To ensure local youth are ready for employment opportunities brought about by the Baleh HEP, Sarawak Energy has begun providing skills training in 2016 for them at local training institutions like Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara and Institut Latihan Perindustrian.
“Within the next two years, Sarawak Energy is expected to support the training of around 500 youth from Baleh.
“The skills training will be on welding, scaffolding, rigging or slinging or working at heights, blasting and coating, safety, handling heavy vehicles and machineries like bulldozers, excavators, rollers and also courses on electrical, mechanical, administration, human resources and entrepreneurship.
“These courses have been identified as relevant to the project from its implementation stage till completion,” he said.
He shared that the ‘Baleh HEP: Skill Training for Baleh Youth’, aligned with Sarawak Energy’s CSR community investment focus area on education and young people, will see the youth being absorbed into internship programmes after training and also undergo coaching on soft skills to prepare them for the job market.
He observed that the communities that SEB worked with have benefited from its CSR initiatives which include the provision of amenities like clean water and electricity supply and also from programmes in education, youth development, entrepreneurship, capacity building, culture and heritage, environment management and conservation, and corporate charity projects.
In addition to that, Sharbini noted SEB also continues to offer scholarships to bright students and contribute to the Bakun Charitable Trust to be utilised to support the education needs of the Penans. He believed the initiative aims to further motivate young people from the community to attend school regularly and strive for educational excellence.