MGA NURTURES YOUNG TALENT FOR MALAYSIA'S GAS AND ENERGY SECTOR VIA 'PRESTIGE'

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) – The Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) nurtures young talent for Malaysia's gas and energy sector through its university student engagement programme, “Programme on Energy Sustainability, Transition and Insights to Graduate Engineers (Prestige)”.

President Abdul Aziz Othman said the gas industry has long been pivotal to Malaysia’s energy security and socio-economic growth, especially as Malaysia is transitioning towards Net Zero by 2050.

"The gas industry needs young innovators with extensive and multiple skills and capabilities to drive the future of energy transition.

“For many decades, the gas industry has contributed over RM135 billion to the wider economy and created thousands of jobs across the value chain,” he said in a statement today.

Abdul Aziz said the Ministry of Economy has recently developed a comprehensive policy framework for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology.

“CCUS alone is expected to create over 200,000 jobs and generate RM250 billion in gross value. This further stresses the longevity and relevance of the gas industry towards 2050 and beyond,” he noted.

He also highlighted that natural gas will remain critical to Malaysia’s energy mix, projected to make up 56 per cent by 2050.

“We need talented and creative graduates who can harness new technologies to ensure that natural gas contributes to our sustainability and carbon reduction goals.

“This vision and opportunity need to be communicated to the future workforce,” Abdul Aziz said.

Meanwhile, MGA said this year’s Prestige held from Nov 15-17, 2024, in Kuching, Sarawak, attracted the participation of over 50 final-year students from Universiti Teknologi Mara Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, University of Technology Sarawak, and Curtin University Malaysia.

The association noted that this year would be the first time non-engineering students would participate, highlighting the growing need for diverse expertise in the energy industry. 

“A key highlight was a study visit to Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd, where students learned about Malaysia’s hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle, showcasing innovations in sustainable energy,” it said.

MGA has consistently promoted the Malaysian gas industry to thousands of young engineers since Prestige’s inception 16 years ago.

-- BERNAMA