MIRI: Shell and Miri Vocational College marked 25 years of partnership in technical skills development through ProjekLINK yesterday.
The project is an industrial welder training programme run by the college, with technical and financial support from Shell. It was conceived by Sarawak Shell Bhd in 1989 to develop local technical skills, by raising the standard of welders to international level through a certification programme.
The occasion was marked by a series of activities held at the college yesterday, with the guest-of-honour being Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Promotion of Technical Education) Datu Len Talif Salleh, Sarawak Shell Bhd generalmanager Chok Chee Tsong and the college director Sherene Choo.
The occasion saw the presentation of certificates for a global Shell award as well as the symbolic handing over of a new welding machine worth RM110,000 from Shell to the college.
The long-term programme received a global Merit Prize from the multi-national oil giant for its positive impact on the industry and local community early this year. Its advisors from Shell were awarded the Shell CEO’s Health, Security, Safety and Environment (HSSE) and Social Performance Award (SP).
Len praised Shell’s early initiative in developing ProjekLINK, which he said, “has a direct impact in transforming the local community into skilled and qualified welders who are in high demand”.
He added that technical skills education was increasingly relevant to the economy as the country moved towards industrialisation.
Chok, meanwhile, said that as a responsible oil and gas operator, Shell Malaysia responded to the government’s call to raise technical skills in the state.
“Before 1989, most welders employed in the local oil and gas industry were non-Malaysians and the majority was from other Asean countries thus giving a negative impression on the quality of the local vocational school graduates.”
He said through ProjekLINK, Shell Malaysia had been assisting Miri Vocational College for the past 25 years in training welders to the oil and gas industry’s specific standards.
He also said the success of the programme had resulted in its extension to Bintulu, and that they were exploring other opportunities for expansion.