Petronas helps young graduates in Sabah to secure employment

 By Olivia Miwil - June 15, 2021 @ 11:36am

From left: :A chemical engineer Joebenson Francis Lodungi from Inanam near here, and Mohd Zulkarnain Maitin from Kampung Beringgis in Papar. - Pic courtesy of Petronas

KOTA KINABALU: Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) has helped many in Sabah find employment via its Graduates Employability Enhancement Scheme (GEES).

GEES is an initiative in support of the Finance Ministry's Short-Term Employment Programme (MySTEP) to provide short-term work opportunities and experience to enhance the employability of eligible school leavers and unemployed graduates.

Out of 1,959 Malaysian youths, many have secured jobs either in the private or public sectors.

Among them is Mohd Zulkarnain Maitin from Kampung Beringgis in Papar who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business and administration, majoring in finance, from Universiti Teknologi Mara, Sarawak branch, in December 2011.

Despite having worked hard to earn a coveted degree, the path to employment was not as smooth as he had wished it to be until he applied to Petronas' GESS in 2012.

"It was during GEES that I improved on my soft skills such as articulating and communicating my thoughts, problem-solving, and adapting to roles and responsibilities.

"I seldom had the confidence to voice my opinion," Mohd Zulkarnain said, adding that he used to be a shy person and acknowledged the importance of skill enhancement.

A chemical engineer, Joebenson Francis Lodungi from Inanam also benefited from the programme after he graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sabah in 2017.

When Joebenson received the call that he was shortlisted for GEES, he was already on the fourth day of work at a palm oil mill in Kinabatangan, Sabah but decided to go for the programme.

"I was already working, and the pay was good. On the other hand, I was offered to take part in GEES, which does not guarantee a job upon completion.

"However, I took up the offer and improved a lot. The first week was difficult because I was not fluent in English, but the coaches encouraged us and guided us every step of the way.

"The biggest impact the programme had on me was building my confidence," said Joebenson.

For Zulkarnain, he applied for a job in Petronas and is currently an executive at the company's Group Procurement while Joebenson is now an executive at Sabah Assets, Upstream Operations.

The GEES programme is available all year via the Petronas website. It is open to Malaysian graduates aged 26 and below who score a minimum CGPA of 3.0.