BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

PUSAT Latihan Mekanik (PLM) held a “Market Day” yesterday so its fourth Industrial Skill Qualification (ISQ) intake students could apply for jobs with potential employers.

Hundreds of students thronged PLM’s multipurpose hall to present their resumes to 16 private companies.

PLM Deputy Principal (Education and Training) Hjh Farizah Norin Hj Abd Jalil said the purpose of Market Day was to help students secure conditional offers that could land them careers at the respective companies.

The programme requires all students to have completed a six-month course on generic theory modules including numeracy and communications.

Students visited company booths on Market Day to shop for jobs relevant to their programmes and submit job applications to a maximum of three companies of their choice.

Once they secure a conditional offer, they will embark on a period of Industrial Placement (IP) for practical training.

The deputy principal emphasised that the offer is conditional, so students must make sure they achieve a good attendance record during training. Otherwise, the offer will be void.

“The period of training may vary for every company or position. For example, for rig crew and blaster/painter (positions), the training usually runs for six months plus the six-month course with PLM,” she said.

“Upon completion, they will be given around two weeks to a month to rest. In the meantime, a date will be set for them on when they will report to work at their employers, which are the companies that offered them the IP training.”

Adib Judin, a PLM Professional Driver Class Five course student, hailed the Market Day initiative and programmes offered by PLM which aim to reduce unemployment.

“Basically, I’ve just finished studying for six months and am in the second stage. So if we pass, then we will proceed to the IP for training before we start work,” he said.

Adib said the Market Day has helped him identify and shortlist the companies that offer the roles he can fill and was pleased that the private companies were doing their part to help reduce unemployment in the country.

“I hope that teens or youths out there still looking for direction on what career path to take will seize the moment to give these programmes a shot,” he said.

“You have the benefit of (government-provided) allowances, are given conditional offers by companies, and the government is actually there to help land you a career. So it’s really a good option for young people.”

PLM in a statement said the Market Day event will continue until August 21, when there will be job interviews and a closing ceremony.

“Successful applicants will be awarded with conditional offers of employment by the companies. On the last day, a conditional offer of employment ceremony will be held where the certificates of employment will be presented to the successful applicants of the ISQ fourth cohort,” it said.

“Registration for the fifth ISQ cohort is currently open until August 31 which can be accessed online through the Institute of Brunei Technical Education’s website at www.ibte.edu.bn.”

New ISQ programmes to help locals secure jobs in the oil and gas industry were launched earlier this year.

The courses of Blaster/Painter, Crane Operator, Forklift Operator, Prime Mover/Trailer Driver, Rigid/Heavy Vehicle Driver, Rig Crew and CWI technician were added onto the 18 programmes currently offered under several institutions in the sultanate as part of the Energy Industry Competency Framework (EICF).

The EICF was established to help create a local workforce equipped with relevant skills to make them more marketable to the oil and gas industry.

The Brunei Times