Manpower Industry Steering Committee [MISC] Energy Industry Engagement Day and Launch of SkillUP™

The Manpower Industry Steering Committee [MISC] Working Group for Energy (MISC-WG Energy) a committee under the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC), held an Energy Industry Engagement Day today in Kuala Belait with support from Brunei Shell Petroleum Co. Sdn. Bhd. The Engagement Day was a continuation of the last two Industry Engagements; the Competence Framework Industry Engagement held in March 2020 and the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) Market Engagement Day held in August last year.

Present as Guest of Honour was Yang Mulia Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo Bin Sokiaw, Deputy Minister of Energy. Also in attendance were Yang Mulia Dr Chin Wei Keh, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Education (MOE) as the Deputy Chairman of the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC), key stakeholders from Prime Minister’s Office, MOE, Ministry of Energy, MPEC Secretariat, other relevant government agencies and leaders from operators and suppliers in the Energy industry.

The Engagement day has given the opportunity for MISC-WG Energy to share the key information and obtain feedback from the industry on areas where MISC-WG Energy can further improve delivery.

In her opening remarks, Hajah Rosita Hassan, the MISC-WG Energy Lead, reiterated the importance of having the engagement sessions as a platform to continue the dialogue on local manpower development as the industry needs to step up in order to create more local employment opportunities. She also applauded the collaboration between MISC-WG Energy, Ministry of Education and the Industry partners for making significant progress towards its objective of developing the competency framework to strengthen the capabilities of our local workforce through the iSkill programme.

Hajah Rosita also shared that MISC-WG Energy is transitioning into execution phase where some further new initiatives will be rolled out. We have also reviewed the existing programmes and have made changes to ensure that the competency development program remains relevant and dynamic, to meet the requirements. This Industry Engagement Day aimed to update the Energy Industry and its business partners on the MISC-WG Energy implementation plan, affecting the workforce development programmes with focus on competence development programmes, work placement with the industry and competence assessment. Several presentations were also lined up to inform the audience on various topics such as the projected manpower demand in the Energy Industry, and plans made by MISC-WG Energy together with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Energy to address the increasing the supply of skilled workers of the industry and market. To date, more than 400 trainees have registered, and successful candidates will undergo various training programmes with IBTE and subsequently with our registered training organisations,” she stated.

The iSkill

The iSkill is a new Competence Development Programme that has been developed through close collaboration between the Energy Industry with support of the Manpower Industry Steering Committee Working Group (MISC-WG) Energy together with Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE). The programme underwent a rigorous process to match and align industry requirements and expectations from the local workforce. This includes potential opportunities in developing a pathway towards a professional career in the relevant skill pools. Skill modules in the programme have also been mapped to recognised international standards.

The programme will serve the energy industry’s needs by opening opportunities specifically with local participation in mind to achieve greater occupational skill levels in support of Brunei’s Wawasan 2035.

Launch of the SkillUP Digital Application

The SkillUP Digital Application was officially launched at the event, in tandem with the development of the iSkill Programme with the aim of ensuring that every trainee in the industry meets the prescribed standards and requirements set forth for their respective qualifications. The MISC-WG Energy, with support from BSP, embarked on a digital approach to capture, monitor and track the development of skills and competence of our local workforce industry-wide. The SkillUP app is a career and skills tracking application for contractors, employees and regulators in the energy industry and has the potential to be rolled out to other industries. The platform allows individuals to record their learning and training progress with every achievement or additional experience.

The event ended with industry breakout sessions where participants had the opportunity to further discuss topics that interest them.