NEWS & UPDATES

KUCHING
27 AUGUST 2020

Sarawak Energy awarded scholarships to 54 outstanding students and 10 employees to continue their education in various fields of study at a virtual awards ceremony today.

The external scholars were selected from over 340 applications this year, after undergoing a rigorous and structured assessment process. The applicants were shortlisted based on their academic and extra-curricular achievements and leadership potential.

All Sarawak Energy scholars will pursue higher education at various local and overseas institutions of higher learning. Chosen fields of study are related to Sarawak Energy’s business, with most majoring in engineering, information and communications technology, finance and law.

The Scholarship Awards programme is part of Sarawak Energy’s ongoing efforts to help Sarawak talent reach their potential through an annual educational commitment of RM8 million. Since it was first introduced in 2014, the Scholarship programme has benefitted 573 scholars including 96 staff, while 206 (165 external and 41 internal) are still pursuing their studies. A total of RM21 million has been invested into the programme since 2017.

“Although the COVID-19 global pandemic has put a severe strain on our finances and cash management is critical for Sarawak Energy especially in the next two years, we believe that education is key for the future generation and can open up opportunities for them for a brighter future. We will continue to invest in that future, and will continue to allocate RM8 million annually to provide educational funding not just for students who excel in their studies, but also members of the communities near our projects and operations who may need additional educational assistance and employees who want to improve themselves,” said Group Chief Executive Officer Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili, when addressing the recipients at the virtual awards ceremony today.

Sharbini congratulated all Sarawak Energy scholars as well as their parents, families and teachers who were instrumental in guiding them towards academic excellence.

Sharbini also encouraged the 2020 batch of scholars to remain focused on achieving their goals.

“Despite this challenging time to embark on your college or university life with the COVID-19 situation, I am confident that you will continue to be top scorers and adapt well to our new normal. Stay resilient, focus on your goals and make all of us at Sarawak Energy proud,” he added.

As part of the corporation’s ongoing talent development programme for a high performing workforce, Sarawak Energy also supports employees’ continuous learning and encourages self-development by offering them scholarships to pursue higher education.

“This is our commitment to nurture, develop and retain the best talents so that we can grow a workforce that is knowledgeable, skilled and competent to enable us to achieve our vision of sustainable growth and prosperity for Sarawak,” Sharbini said.

Besides the scholarship programme, Sarawak Energy’s other initiatives to identify, attract and recruit the best young talents include the Bursary programme under the Early Bird Talent Scheme.

Sarawak Energy’s General Manager for Human Resources (Workforce, Talent and Organisational Effectiveness) Gtiumiss Christopher said, “We want to identify and develop Sarawak’s young pool of talent in the early stages of their lives. Our talent development and incentive programmes like bursaries, scholarships, internship placement and campus ambassadorship will help us to attract talents that will drive capability development in both urban and rural Sarawak.”

A total of RM100,000 is allocated annually to support Sarawak secondary students who excel academically and in co-curriculum through financial aids managed by their schools. The Bursary programme was introduced last year and has since financially supported 119 secondary students from selected high-performing schools throughout Sarawak.

Some of Sarawak Energy’s senior management team and 2020 batch of Sarawak Energy scholars pose in a group picture at the virtual awards ceremony.

64 awarded with the Sarawak Energy Scholarship Awards 2020.

Sarawak Energy’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili

Sarawak Energy’s General Manager for Human Resources (Workforce, Talent and Organisational Effectiveness) Gtiumiss Christopher