BGC Managing Director Hj Shahbudin Hj Musa speaks during the signing ceremony for the BGC Marine Cadets in Jerudong. BT/Saiful Omar
BRUNEI-MUARA
BRUNEI Gas Carriers (BGC) has taken an initiative to see that Bruneians operate all its LNG fleets by 2020, its managing director said.
Hj Shahbudin Hj Musa said fully-trained Bruneians are currently manning 85 per cent of its ships.
BGC employs 100 per cent Bruneians for its onshore operations, headded.
The managing director was speaking during BGC’s marine cadets signing ceremony at the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club in Jerudong yesterday.
“BGC recognises the importance of skilled talents so that it can continue to serve the needs of the nation and its customers.
“People are the most important asset in our organisation. Being relatively new, BGC will continue to boot its leadership and professional capabilities, and this is currently being done together with various talent management and development programmes in the organisation,’’ he added.
Eleven students have signed up for a cadetship programme with BGC yesterday.
They will be undertaking their Higher National Diploma and Foundation Degree at maritime colleges in the United Kingdom.
The cadetship programme is one of the initiatives to realise BGC’s objectives to develop the nation’s resources for safe and reliable maritime transportation, said Hj Shahbudin.
“This is in line with the country’s vision of Wawasan 2035 – to be a nation of highly skilled and highly educated people, a society with a high quality of life and a dynamic, sustainable economy,’’ he added.
He further advised the new students to “remember their roots as Bruneians’’, citing the aspiration of HisMajesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to remain focused and not lose sight and sway away from the path of education.
“If you can remember this and respect the law and order of the country, you have every chance to succeed,’’ he said.
“When you are out there, you will face challenges in adapting to a new environment and balancing your priorities.”
“It will not be easy. Studying and living in the UK can be a very testing experience. It is a different environment, different weather and different culture,’’ he added.
Speaking to The Brunei Times, a 28-year-old graduate of the programme said adapting to the culture whilst studying abroad was common.
“For those who have never been to the UK, they will be going to experience a culture shock but eventually once they are settled, they would get used to it,’’ said Zamri Jumaat, who was at the signing ceremony to support the new intake.
However, he said in terms of studies, there is not much difference except that there will be more hands-on practical studies.
“Studies were not really difficult, there will be assignments and so on, just like normal college studyhere.
“The only difference is the vocational type of study, where students are going to learn navigation skills, for example.
“These skills, you cannot find it in the books, you need to be involved in doing practical work and you get to understudy with the seniors,’’ he said.
Working with BGC since he graduated, he advised the new students to learn to adapt to working with different people when they work offshore.
“Maritime is quite new to Brunei, so they need to be open and willing to accept all the challenges such as working with foreigners.
“Because Brunei will be sending trade to other countries such as Japan, Malaysia and Korea, they need to know how to approach customers who have different cultures. It’s a skill you develop with time, depending on how you start,’’ he said.
The second batch of cadets for the year 2013 will join BGC’s 30 other marine cadets in the United Kingdom who are currently undergoing their cadetship programme.
To date, there are about 170 cadets who are working on the LNG vessels of Brunei.
The Brunei Times
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.