Sharing expertise in approaching work challenges
By V Nuhati

Photo shows forum speakers.

A half-day forum themed 'Training of Trainers: Meeting Future Challenges in the Environment of Technological Change and K-Workers' was successfully conducted at SEAMEO-VOCTECH Centre on Monday.

Invited to speak at the forum were Mr Gary Young, Head of Training Department, Brunei Shell Petroleum; Acting Director of Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) Hj Suhaila bin Haji Abdul Karim; and Head of Business and Management Department, (ITB) Dyg Hajah Rose bte Hj Karim.

Fifteen course participants from Southeast Asian countries comprised the audience together with invited officials of the Department of Technical Education (DTE), Training Department of the Ministry of Education and Alif Technologies Sdn Bhd.

SEAMEO VOCTECH Management Staff, together with Centre Director Noorhaizamdin bin Haji Mosbi - who delivered a welcoming remark - were also present.

Mr Dennis Ho, Head of Curriculum Department, DTE - the moderator - reeled off the forum by citing the relevance of the gathering that was to share knowledge, experience and expertise in approaching the challenges of one's respective work environment. For the audience's perusal, he highlighted points discussed by each speaker.

With Brunei Shell Petroleum Company, representing industry, Mr Young talked on 'Training System in Petroleum Industry: How BSP is meeting Future Challenges.' With current trends and impact in the petroleum industry, he commented, among others, a pursuit of lower cost and higher returns that are putting a tight squeeze on employees.

He announced that BSP spends B$10 million per year on training or B$4,000 per trainee. Forty staff are now attending courses overseas he added.

In linking learning to business results, he stressed that business drivers start from learning, which leads to competence, resulting into effective performance. However, he cautioned that proper attitude is a key towards a desired good performance output.

In the educational sector, Dyg Hjh Rose informed participants on the mission to educate/train individuals and technologists in the field of engineering, information technology and business, and to be globally competitive as well as to uphold the social norms and values of the national philosophy, among others.

She reiterated that through effective instruction, practically oriented and industry based course programmes, students would be endowed with fundamental knowledge, competence and marketable skills in the fields aforementioned.

Moreover, with a profile of 148 staff and 743 student population, she quipped that a cooperative effort of all concerned is necessary to produce advanced-level technicians.

Haji Suhaila elaborated on the course development process and quality assurance that enable the institute to function efficiently for the benefit of its students. He also presented challenges such as the amount of knowledge, rapid change and changing needs of industry and need for technical skills and generic skills on communication, interpersonal aspects which are to be addressed in future.

DTE Senior Education Officer Haji Omar bin Hj Judin, in commenting on education matching with the needs of industry, spoke of the department's seriousness on attaching staff with industry. This is a way to enable them to keep pace with technological changes, he said.

Moreover, he noted, that their observations on possible changes would be documented in the curriculum.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin