BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE energy sector has employed over 50 per cent of the graduates of Mechanic Training Centre’s (PLM) Industrial Skill Qualifications (ISQ) programme under the Energy Industry Competency Framework (EICF).

A total of 327 out of at least 600 candidates were hired since the centre introduced the ISQ programme in September 2013.

Sheikh Lukman Hamid, PLM acting principal, told The Brunei Times that they expect the energy sector to hire a total of 451PLM trainees by May.

“This is a very successful model of Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) in Brunei. More and more oil and gas companies in the country and abroad have shown interest to all the EICF programmes, including HNTEC/NTEC courses,” he said.

The acting principal added this is encouraging as the programmes are gaining momentum, and that the public has been responding positively to it due to the employment opportunities available to all graduates from the Institute of Brunei Technical Education.

The ISQ programme at PLM currently includes scaffolding, welding, market fitter, rigger, professional driver, rig crew and industrial painter blaster.

Sheikh Lukman said the fourth cohort and introduction of Phase Two for the EICF-ISQ programmes began on April 13.

“To date, 318 have been accepted to join all the programmes under ISQ. This is an increase from the previous cohort due to the introduction of three more new ISQ programmes,” he said.

Asked what challenges the centre is currently facing, the acting principal said there was a need to strengthen disciplinary measures.

“This is due to the short duration of the ISQ programme, where students undergo training for just six months. This is considered too short,” he said.

He added: “In other courses at the other six technical and vocational institutions and colleges, they stayed for at least 12 months, and over time, we have seen that most of the students attending other TVET courses show low disciplinary problems.”

The acting principal said another challenge at the centre is the current infrastructural capacity and inadequate human resources for teaching and learning.

“We have already exceeded our current capacity of 550 students. By the third quarter of this year, the total population of students at PLM will exceed 800 ,” he said.

The Brunei Times