Published on January 9, 2025

With over 95 years of experience under its belt, BSP has played a fundamental role in the Oil and Gas Industry. While the company leaves behind achievements in technology, people development and technical expertise, one value underlies every work and has fortified in the last nine decades – its commitment to safety.  

Recognising BSP's rich history of safety best practices and learning, there lies an opportunity to further knowledge sharing with today's youth. And thus, the SHIELD (short for Safety Health Innovation Excellence Leadership Development) Programme comes into fruition.  

The programme, developed together with the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) and spearheaded by BSP, aims to provide a platform where safety knowledge, skills and tools are provided to enrich the students’ knowledge on safety. After months of collaboration and planning, the programme was formally launched on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at the IBTE Jefri Bolkiah Campus.  

 

Present at the event were BSP's Managing Director, Agnete Johnsgaard-Lewis; Director of Technical Education and Chief Executive Officer at the Institute of Brunei Technical Education; Dr Haji Mohd Zamri bin Haji Sabli; members of the BSP leadership team as well as participating students from the institute.  

In her opening remarks, Agnete shared, “IBTE and BSP have had an enduring partnership, especially in nurturing technical talents in the oil and gas industry. It is my hope that through this latest collaboration, we can fortify this partnership, especially in producing future-ready and safety-conscious technical workforce.” 

Building on the importance of safety, Dr Haji Mohd Zamri emphasised how safety knowledge can prepare the students well for the future of the industry as well, “Being competent and knowledgeable in HSE will enable students to employ safety practices, kept abreast about new safety risks and hazards associated with new technologies in the industry and be prepared to deal with these risks in the future.” 

Under the guidance of BSP and IBTE coaches, the students are required to undergo theoretical and practical training to prepare them for their Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) projects, as well as to become safety ambassadors to their peers. At the end of the programme, the students presented their projects to a panel of field professionals from BSP and IBTE.  

As part of the programme initiation, BSP also sponsored refurbishment of the student centre, providing a space for students to come together and collaborate. The SHIELD programme truly showcases the close collaboration between industry and education, and a shared unwavering belief for strong safety culture.