by TMR / pic by TMR FILE

PETROLEUM Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has teamed up with 15 local universities under its Collaboration with Higher Education Strategic Initiatives (CHESS) programme to catalyse industry-academia knowledge sharing in technical areas aligned with Petronas’ sustainability goals.

The collaboration, expected to contribute to Malaysia’s human capital development efforts, is outlined in the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and the memorandum of cooperation (MoC) exchanged yesterday to intensify learning, coaching and developing and organising research and publication in a wide range of technical areas related to the energy industry.

“Petronas always strives to create a positive social impact as guided by our sustainability agenda. Talent development through education-related initiatives are ways we can contribute to nation-building and bring betterment to those we cross paths with. It is hoped that these efforts will help build a sustainable talent pipeline for the industry amid a global energy transition,” the state-oil firm project delivery and technology senior VP Bacho Pilong said.

“Through the signing of the MoUs and the MoC with these reputable institutions, we look forward to accelerating our momentum in creating positive social impact while supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4, namely Quality Education.”

Pilong added that the industry-academia collaboration brings together the best of both worlds and has proven to be an invaluable impetus to Petronas’ sustainability pursuits.

Under the terms of the MoUs and the MoC, experts from Petronas will share knowledge and industry’s best practices through lectures, talks, training and mentorships, besides Petronas’ internship arrangements and visits to its facilities. Selected personnel will be appointed as adjunct lecturers and advisory panellists for the universities’ curriculum reviews and academic projects. Likewise, the universities will share their academic expertise with Petronas.

Both parties are committed to exploring opportunities in joint related research and publications of technical papers across local and international platforms.

The MoUs were signed with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Melaka, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Sains Malaysia.

The MoC was signed with Universiti Kuala Lumpur. Besides these higher learning institutions, Petronas also has an ongoing collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Petronas.