Kota Kinabalu: The PETRONAS BeDigital Bootcamp offers a rewarding experience for its participants by equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in this digital age.
Aimed at enhancing local undergraduates’ digital literacy to increase employability, a total of 100 local university students recently completed the seventh cohort of the programme.
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The students were from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), and University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF).
Nur Fatihah, from Kota Kinabalu, awarded 'Best Camper'.
The PETRONAS BeDigital Bootcamp aligns with Malaysia’s digital economic aspirations and the Sabah-PETRONAS Human Capital Development Agenda.
The 12-day programme’s modules are designed to enhance students’ job prospects, improve marketability, and explore digital entrepreneurship which include in-demand digital skills such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber security as well as effective presentation skills via a “shark tank pitch”.
UiTM accounting undergraduate Nur Fatihah Azhan Borhan said she felt lucky when selected for the programme.
Aiman from Semporna, one of the seventh cohort participants.
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“After applying for the programme, I was doubtful of being selected as I heard it received over 300 applications. I was surprised to learn that I was one of the chosen 100 participants,” she said.
“I decided to join the programme to enhance my knowledge. I ended up being recognised as the Best Camper. After this, I want to continue to pursue my dreams and apply for a job with PETRONAS,” said the 24-year-old, who is from Kota Kinabalu.
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“It was intimidating at first for us who are not from that (digital technology) field, but we managed to cope and learn a lot, especially in group tasks.”
Participants at ice-breaking session.
Nur Fatihah added, that campers from diverse study fields were grouped togetherso they could co-share knowledge and learn from each other. She was glad that she was able to connect effortlessly with other team members even though they came from different backgrounds.
“My best memory was leading my team and having fun. We were also nominated for the Best Group award.”
PETRONAS BeDigital Bootcamp was first introduced here in March and August 2022, with 18 and 50 students, respectively.
Last year, in addition to Sabah, the programme was expanded to Sarawak and the Peninsular’s East Coast region.
Participants are divided into groups of diverse backgrounds during the programme
Some 563 students from 16 local universities in Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, and Sarawak participated in the bootcamp.
To date, 192 conditional employment offers have been issued with the participation of over 80 hiring partners nationwide.
Mohd Aiman Jamil, a mechanical engineering-major from UMS who was one of the five participants to receive a conditional job offer, is confident that the bootcamp experience will further broaden his career prospects.
“I am eager to discover new opportunities and improve my skills towards my personal and professional goals,” he said, expressing hope that his achievement will be exemplary to his younger family members.
On the programme, the 23-year-old from Semporna said it was an intense, highly competitive but an exciting experience for him.
“The whole 12-day journey was wonderful. We learned a lot about self-improvement and upskilling. For example, we learned how to make a video resume and how to utilise AI,” he said.
Present at the recent closing ceremony held at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) was State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
Also present were PETRONAS Board of Directors Member, Datuk KY Mustafa, PETRONAS Malaysia Petroleum Management Senior Vice President, Datuk Bacho Pilong and PETRONAS Group Technology and Commercialisation Vice President, Aadrin Azly.
Commending PETRONAS’ efforts, Masidi said investing in skills development is not just an investment in individuals or corporations but also an investment in the progress and prosperity of the State.
Meanwhile, Aadrin said the BeDigital Bootcamp is a key part of PETRONAS’ dedication to talent development and nation-building.
“With this bootcamp, students can prepare for jobs and technologies that do not yet exist to solve problems that we do not even know are problems yet.
“By equipping students with the skills they need to thrive in the digital age, we can empower them to become active contributors to Malaysia’s growth and development.
“We will continue working with educational institutions, industry players and hiring partners to enable communities with digital skills to help today’s students become tomorrow’s leaders.
"To achieve this, we have expanded the programme to reach more areas across the country with three more cohorts added this year.
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