Papar-born Zulkarnain is all smile after being named the Most Improved Participant during his stint under GEES in 2012.
KOTA KINABALU: Like many other youths graduating from university, Mohd Zulkarnain Maitin felt elated when finally received his academic scroll.
It was a moment that marked the successful completion to his years of struggle as a student.
The coveted degree that he had worked hard for would now open the doors to another chapter of his life: a long and meaningful career ahead of him.
But reality came biting soon enough, as the path to employment was not as smooth as he had wished it to be.
“There I was, with a good degree, and yet I was jobless. I guess that was what entering the real world meant,” recalled Zulkarnain, now 33.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and administration, majoring in finance, from Universiti Teknologi Mara, Sarawak branch, in December 2011.
What ensued next was a series of attempts to find employment, said Zulkarnain, who hails from Kg Beringgis, Papar.
In mid-2012 he applied to participate in Petronas’ Graduates Employability Enhancement Scheme (GEES), an initiative in support of the Ministry of Finance’s Short-Term Employment Programme (MySTEP) which aims to provide short-term work opportunities and experience to enhance the employability of eligible school leavers and unemployed graduates.
Under MySTEP, government-linked companies such as Petronas will be able to participate in either one of the initiatives offered such as Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 or Professional Training and Education for Growing Entrepreneurs (PROTÉGÉ) Ready-To-Work Programme.
Petronas’ GEES initiative aims to enhance employability of new graduates by venturing into the job market or setting up their own businesses after completing the programme. Under GEES, participants will be exposed to real work environment within the Petronas Group.
Participating in the GEES programme proved to be a turning point for Zulkarnain. “It was during GEES that I improved on my soft skills such as articulating and communicating my thoughts, problem-solving, and adapting to roles and responsibilities,” he said, adding that he used to be a shy person.
“I seldom had the confidence to voice out my opinion,” he said, acknowledging the importance of skills enhancement in one’s quest for a successful career.
Joebenson, who is from Inanam, posing for a picture at the Erb West Platform, off Sabah.
Meanwhile, Joebenson Francis Lodungi from Inanam, Kota Kinabalu, is another GEES trainee who benefited from the programme.
Shortly after graduating with a chemical engineering degree from Universiti Malaysia Sabah in 2017, he went on a job-hunting mission and eventually landed a job at a palm oil mill in Kinabatangan, in the east coast of Sabah.
On the fourth day of work, however, Joebenson received a call that he had been shortlisted for the GEES programme – a call that reminded him that during the times he was job-hunting, he had also attended an open interview for the PROTÉGÉ programme involving several companies, including Petronas which had set up a booth to promote GEES.
“I was already working, and the pay was good. On the other hand, I had been offered to take part in GEES, which does not guarantee a job upon completion,” said Joebenson. He eventually decided to go for GEES, convinced that he would gain valuable skills and knowledge under the programme.
It was a decision he never regretted. “I improved myself a lot. The first week was difficult because I was not fluent in English, but the coaches encouraged us and guided us every step of the way. The biggest impact the programme had on me was building my confidence.”
To date, Petronas has trained 1,959 Malaysian youths, including 232 from Sabah, under the programme, with many having found employment either in the private or public sector.
For Zulkarnain, he applied for a job in Petronas and is currently an executive at the company’s Group Procurement while Joebenson is now an executive at Sabah Assets, Upstream Operations.
Application for GEES is available all year round via the Petronas website. It is open to Malaysian graduates aged 26 and below who score a minimum CGPA of 3.0, are unemployed or under-employed in non-relevant areas of their qualifications and have not attended any similar Protégé programmes offered by other companies.