Last call - Oil and Gas job fair beckons

Bandar Seri Begawan - Today will be your last chance to visit the oil and gas service sector job fair, which has been showcasing employment opportunities available in the industry.

Over 80 companies and government agencies have job vacancies, and are still hiring, and the opportunity is still there for those who can make it to the BRIDEX International Convention Centre today.

One common misconception is that the oil and gas industry requires that one has a degree to get into it. This is not true.

"There are job opportunities out there for people who don't have a degree. There are companies out there offering employment for people who have lower qualifications," said Hjh Leny Hj Saji, the Head of Energy Services Business Development from the Energy Department at the Prime Minister's Office, speaking to the Weekend Bulletin.

"Many companies have jobs for people that reward hard work and offer good career prospects," she added.

The Weekend Bulletin sought out such companies at the Job Fair yesterday, starting with Weatherford (B) Sdn Bhd, a company that specialises in oilfield production technology and services.

The company's Geoscientist Pui Shun San, Operations Supervisor Pang Swee Leong and Customer Service Coordinator Kevin Chung said that Weatherford is giving opportunities to locals with both high-level and lower qualifications.

"What we focus on is attitude, and how hard working a person is," they said.

How keen a worker is to learn is also a very important quality they look for, particularly when it comes to career progression.

"This plays a role in how we select people to work offshore or even abroad," they explained. "As long as one is willing to put in the work, it is not too difficult to progress."

Weatherford offers on-the-job training as well as the possibility of being sent abroad for training.

"If we hire you and you display a good level of effort and initiative, then there is a good chance for you to move up," they added, reiterating the importance of possessing a strong willingness and determination to get the job done.

Another company offering job opportunities for those with lower qualifications is Mahkota Maju Sdn Bhd, a vendor that represents products from international companies ranging from mechanical and structural repair equipment to instrumentation and control systems.

Speaking to the Bulletin, Mahkota Maju Business and Contract Manager Louisa Lim explained that they have a localisation plan, which aims to bring in more Bruneians to their workforce.

Louisa stressed on the importance of prospective workers possessing a positive attitude for work, adding that this plays a strong role in helping their career advancement.

"For them to advance, they need to show initiative. They can't simply expect to be promoted: she said, explaining that the opportunity is always there, but that it is about doing something to merit obtaining it.

Positions are available at the company specifically for project engineers, an IT consultant. supervisors, HSE officers, helpers and riggers or technicians, with varying requirements for each, not necessarily requiring a degree.

The Weekend .Bulletin also spoke to Baker Hughes, an oilfield services company which serves the global petroleum industry, offering products and services for finding evaluating, drilling, extracting and producing hydrocarbon.

Baker Hughes IPS Ops Manager for Southeast Asia, Rhodine Al-Balushi, said yesterday that one does not need a degree to be able to apply for work at their company.

"We look at new personnel in two ways. They are either fresh graduates or an experienced hire. If one does not have a degree, and one is hired, they are considered a specialist, while a degree holder is considered an engineer," he said.

Both those who do and do not possess a degree are then entered into the same programme, Baker Hughes' Lead Programme.'

"This four-step programme helps develop new people into valuable assets for the company" he said, explaining that this is because "these guys are the future of the company."

The- first step involves technical training, followed by more advanced technical training in the second step, before being given internships and shadowing opportunities in the third step.

The fourth step is the decider, where these new workers will be prepared for the particular field in which they wish to work, be it office work, research and development, field work, and many more.

"If you have at least completed high school education, or have a diploma, then you will be taken in and considered a specialist," said Rhodine, adding that the people they bring in also have a good chance of going overseas should they demonstrate good potential, citing that Baker Hughes has about five Bruneians working abroad.

He then went on to say that one of the best things about the oil and gas industry is that it is one in which one can progress through merit.

"If you're willing to work hard, you can progress," he added.

These are just some of the companies offering job opportunities at the Oil and Gas Service Sector Job Fair, all of which will still be there today.