Petronas Counsellors Programme in session.
KOTA KINABALU: Some 100 counselling teachers from schools in Sabah’s west coast took part in a seminar organised by Petronas in collaboration with the Education Ministry, focusing on career opportunities for students in the oil and gas sector.
The one-day Petronas Counsellors Programme, focused on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which are the key subjects for a career in the sector.
Rokiah Sulaiman, Head of Petronas Sabah and Labuan Regional Office said school counsellors are highly influential in cultivating students’ interest in STEM subjects and in providing them with information about pursuing career aspirations after completing their secondary school.
“This is our proactive approach in enriching students’ development by empowering school counsellors. We strongly believe the participants would be able to provide impactful career guidance to their students, and in the long run, help produce talents in diverse fields for the nation,” she added.
The Ministry of Education’s Counselling Unit shared the techniques and measurement tools for counselling effectiveness during the programme followed by a talk on the Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP).
There was also a sharing by Petrosains on creative ways to promote STEM to the younger generations. Later in the afternoon, the teachers attended a series of break-out sessions, each focusing on opportunities by institutions such as Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas, Akademi Laut Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).
Darma Djoni, Vice President of the Sabah Counselling Teachers’ Council said: “This is a six-star programme. We can now be a strategic partner in spreading the knowledge that we gained here for the benefit of our students.”
Zurinah Genaral, a counselling teacher from SMK Limbanak in Penampang, said: “As counselling teachers, we would be the closest source for the students to obtain information on charting their career path. It is our responsibility to share this information directly to students, particularly those in Form Five and Form Six.”
Education is one of the three pillars of Petronas’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. The other two are environment and community wellbeing.
Among Petronas’ key education initiatives in Sabah are the PESP, sponsorship of five Trust Schools in Kimanis, collaboration with six institutions under the Vocational Institution Sponsorship and Training Assistance, construction of a MRSM in Ranau, construction of a rural hostel in Balambangan Island, and sponsorship of less privileged students in three MRSMs in Sabah.