14 Nov
RIDING on the success of a locally developed training programme for worksite supervisors in the oil and gas sector, Megamas plans to expand its operations overseas targeting the Middle Eastern market in particular.
Mohd Roger Ainsworth, the company’s general manager, told The Brunei Times in an interview last week that the competency programme that they’ve developed for worksite supervisors has been a big success in Brunei, especially for Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) and its contractors.
“Initially, we were looking to go to the Middle East next year, for example Shell in Oman and Qatar. But, to be honest, we feel that it’s a course that has been so recognised by Shell at the highest level, there’s a potential not only in the Middle East, but possibly in locations like Nigeria as well. That’s really the top of our list next year,” he said.
The GM explained that when they first introduced the course in 2005, there were some concerns about the competency of supervisors who were in charge of the worksite and it was during that time, BSP asked them to develop a competency-based training course to address the issue.
“Together with BSP, we developed a two-day course with eight assessments to address various issues faced by the worksite supervisor. This is not just theory, but a lot of practical involved. We needed five to six Megamas staff to conduct the course and it has been seen as a major contribution to improve competency, skills and knowledge of the worksite supervisor,” Mohd Roger explained.
By taking the course overseas, Megamas would have to send their instructors going to the location to teach, maybe in partnership with another training provider.
“We may have to do a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a company in those countries. We may go directly to the client, but it’s better to go to the training provider as we would run several courses initially with our own and their staff, but they could conduct the remaining courses thereafter under a licensed agreement to Megamas,” he said, adding that they can’t be sending out six staff everytime there’s a course in some part of the world.
“So, that would be the best solution eventually,” he said.
Megamas is also looking to venture into a Southeast Asian country, where they have conducted some training previously.
“There are oil and gas opportunities present and a company like Megamas has a chance to provide quality for their work. It’s another possibility for us to explore, because in other parts of the region like Malaysia or Indonesia, it’s more difficult to find a niche there,” he said.
Megamas is also looking seriously into education, where they hope to make a link with a United Kingdom or Australian university.
“We are looking at the opportunity to do a development course which touches on leadership, public speaking and negotiation skills, to name a few. These development courses that are not normally done, as there are providers doing welding and scaffolding, but this is more of technical development courses, because we have the facility,” he said.
The training company is mulling the possibility of establishing a connection with Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), with the idea that students can go to a university overseas, then back to the training company, where they can arrange for industrial experience with Megamas or other companies throughout Brunei.
“If we are linked to an international university, it gives us some worldwide recognition,” he added.
Mohd Roger also mentioned that another area they are looking at is drilling training, one of the few courses easily available overseas.
“We want to develop these courses and get approval to do them in Megamas in Brunei, which would save a lot of money from people going to do them in Singapore,” he said.
When asked about the fee for its courses compared to other countries in the region, Mohd Roger said that theirs are “a very good and competitive price, focused on quality”.
“Over the past 10 years, we have dropped our prices over 40 per cent. Some courses are running at just $150 a day. However, we don’t cut corners and we deliver them all to the required standard,” he said, adding that Megamas always operates in line with the principle of integrity.
Some courses delivered in Megamas are cheaper compared to a Malaysian equivalent and they have a course $1,000 cheaper than what Singapore is offering.
“It’s not easy to compare, whether a course is cheaper or expensive, but what’s important is we meet the international standard for training. If you compare that, the similar exact same course, then we are very competitive as we strive to meet high quality everytime,” a consultant for the company added.
Neil said that training is an investment, and a company invests in their staff, because they want their staff to develop.
“If you go for a cheap training provider, and bring back no knowledge, that’s just a waste,” he stated.
Mohd Roger said that Megamas stresses on safety because “the real question is not what safety costs, but what it saves”.
The Brunei Times
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