Lyna Mohamad
Graduates are urged to take advantage of all opportunities available and make full use of facilities provided by the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam when stepping into the new world.
This was highlighted by Acting Minister of Energy Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo bin Sokiaw during the 28th Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) Convocation ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Berakas yesterday.
He acknowledged that IBTE has implemented several changes in terms of training and learning, catering to more competitive skills.
Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo also believes that collaborations between IBTE and stakeholders, such as the Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC), Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC) and other agencies, can help produce individuals that can contribute to nation building.
“If graduates would like to venture into the entrepreneurship world but need assistance, I believe DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) has various programmes to help them start up the business,” he said.
For those seeking to secure employment, the acting minister suggested graduates to register with the JobCentre Brunei and join short courses on how to prepare for employment.
With more than 2,500 job opportunities through the centre, Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo hopes graduates will be able to apply the knowledge and skills gained from employment and continuously improvise in the face of the ever-changing and challenging world.
In January next year, IBTE will be conducting iSkill, a new course set up for youth to meet the industry needs particularly in the oil and gas sector, such as welding, marking fitting, scaffolding and painting and blasting.
Touching on IBTE Strategic Plan, which he launched at the convocation, he expressed hopes that the plan will be able to achieve the three main objectives – quality teaching and learning, sustainable governance, and effective strategic collaborations with the industry, community and international partners.
Meanwhile, 1,885 students from IBTE schools nationwide graduated from their diplomas,
HNTec and NTec programmes.
Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Matsatejo presented certificates to 258 Diploma and HNTec graduates, from the Brunei Maritime Academy (BMA), IBTE School of Agrotechnology and Applied Science and School of Aviation.
The convocation is being held from yesterday until Thursday, to avoid overcrowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has changed our daily lives, including education. Despite being affected by this pandemic, Alhamdulillah, IBTE is still able to hold several events in 2020 such as the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with LiveWIRE Brunei, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd and the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI),” IBTE CEO Dr Haji Mohd Zamri bin Haji Sabli said in his welcoming remarks.
IBTE has also achieved several milestones in 2020, one of them being the first cohort students undertaking HNTec in Agrotechnology (paddy industry) producing some 72 tonnes in the first two seasons of harvest.
HNTec graduate in Agrotechnology Michelle Selos Anthony was awarded the Best Student, while HNTec in Electronic Engineering graduate Muhammad Ali Hafizhuddin bin Masdy received the Student Special Award.
The public, especially parents and guardians, wishing to witness the convocation through live streaming platform can do so at https://ibte.edu.bn/2020/12/03/convoschedule/.