Nine Win BSP Scholarships To Study In Australia
By Norhayati Zalani and Wani Abdul Gapar

Kuala Belait - NINE of Brunei Shell Pe & oleum's (BSP) future employees will be undertaking their degrees under the BSP scholarship to the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia this month.

Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Mohd Ali, BSP Deputy Managing Director, in his speech at the scholarship contract signing ceremony at Panaga Hall Seria, yesterday said, "The scholarship is one of our strategies to ensure an adequate supply of workforce to support the company in the future, especially in the technical disciplines such as petroleum engineering, subsurface engineering as well as surveying and mapping science."

He said the almost fair representation of both gender whereby out of the nine recipients four were males, was a good example of the company's diversity and inclusiveness policy. Brunei Shell Petroleum, he said would continue to sponsor more students who meet the company's scholarship requirements.

Hj Zainal Abidin further pointed out that petroleum engineering was a scarce job discipline worldwide. Therefore the students, who would pursue their degrees in this course, were considered as a rare breed.

They will become a very important workforce for BSP in achieving its mission to find more oil and gas once they join the company.

The signing took place between the students, their sureties and BSP.

Signing on behalf of BSP were Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Mohd Ali and Malai Hjh Nuridah Sheikh Mohammad, Head of HR Planning and Development.

The students will undergo courses at the University of New South Wales for four years.

Apart from the students, BSP is also sponsoring two of its employees to pursue further studies at the same university. Mohd Aliza Mohd Hassan wills pursueMSc in petroleum engineering while Shirley Sikun will undertake MSc in surveying and spatial information system course.

Currently, 23 BSP-sponsored students are studying in UNSW including one student who is undertaking MSc in petroleum engineering.

In all, 90 students are studying under BSP scholarships in Australia and the UK.

Three of the BSP 2007 scholarship awardees talked to The Brunei Times regarding their hopes and aspirations of studying abroad.

Shirley Sikun who had spent three years studying in the UK prior to working in BSP said: "University is the best time of your life," she said and she hoped to improve her technical skills while studying at the UNSW. Asked what she deemed important when going overseas to study, Shirley Sikun briefly answered, "To keep an open mind."

Meanwhile Ak Mohd Hadee Pg Hj Yasfadillah was very enthusiastic to study at UNSW and said he looked forward to learn to be independent.

Fellow student, Hjh Siti Nurhazinah Hj Abu Bakar, stated that her area of study, petroleum engineering, was not only relevant technically but also because it builds up interpersonal skills.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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