| Danial Norjidi |
SINCE signing up its first intake of students in 2014, Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd has gone on to offer scholarships to four batches of students from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), totalling 58 participants.
The joint Chemical and Process Engineering Scholarship Programme by UBD and Zhejiang University (ZJU) of the People’s Republic of China is fully funded by Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd.
The fourth and most recent batch of 14 students signed their agreements in February 2017.
Hengyi Industries established the joint Chemical and Process Engineering Scholarship Programme with UBD and Zhejiang University to sponsor students to undertake the later part of their academic studies and industrial training at Zhejiang University for one and a half years.
The programme includes placement in a petrochemical plant in China where students gain first-hand experience in a real life operational refinery environment. Upon completion of the programme, the students are offered employment at Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd.
Four of the participants shared their experience and spoke on what it is like to be a scholar under the programme.
FROM LEFT: Muhammad Adib bin Idris, Yap Ai Hui, Magdalene Tan and Muna Fatinah binti Haji Jofri. – HENGYI INDUSTRIES SDN BHD
Industrial Practice Test: Muhammad Adib bin Idris
One scholar who has completed the programme and is currently employed by the company is Muhammad Adib bin Idris, who was awarded the scholarship in February 2014.
Recounting how it all began, he said, “After finishing our first year, we had to undergo a test, followed by an interview with Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, UBD and also Zhejiang University staff. Getting the scholarship wasn’t the end goal as we still had to maintain good CGPAs throughout the whole four years of study.”
On what he learned as part of the programme, he said, “Chemical engineering in general is broad, but the programme is tailored towards oil refinery and petrochemical industries. So everything we learned is related to these specific industries with a mix of Mandarin classes.
“The best part of the programme for me is the Industrial Practice in China where we got to experience working in a plant in day and night shifts during our third year. It has given me a better idea of the working culture and a better understanding of what we had learned at that time, where theory was put into practice.”
He highlighted that Hengyi had been very supportive during the course. “We kept in touch with the staff in Brunei and China while studying, especially during our stay in China. They have given us good hospitality and guidance when needed. Accommodation was provided on top of a monthly allowance.”
He added that he is looking forward to training that has been arranged by the company that will be conducted soon.
A fruitful journey: Magdalene Tan
Another graduate of the programme is Magdalene Tan, who is currently part of the Hengyi team as an Operator Trainee.
Recounting the selection process, she shared, “During the commencement of the programme, there were various steps we had to undergo to acquire the scholarship that was offered.
“First, was an introduction from our sponsored company, Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd and UBD on the programme itself. A few months later, we took a written exam that was followed by a group interview with a panel of judges. The final joint decision was made by the committees from UBD, ZJU and Hengyi. In early 2014, the chosen candidates were officially contracted and as agreed, we continued our studies for a year and a half at Zhejiang University (ZJU), China.
“Although the course was different than expected, I am grateful to be part of the first few chosen candidates who have the opportunity to be part of the Chemical and Process Engineering scholarship programme.”
On her experience being part of the programme, she said, “The whole programme has definitely been a fruitful journey. Together with the other candidates, we gained valuable life experiences throughout the internships, seminars, study abroad programmes, trainings, on-site visits as well as learning and practising Mandarin in Mainland China. It had been a bittersweet experience, but my colleagues and I are thankful for this fruitful journey as opportunities such as this, rarely comes by.
“One main highlight is the opportunity to experience a gruelling 15-weeks industrial training in China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), which is one of the largest offshore oil and gas producer in China and also an enriching internship programme in Hengyi’s headquarters in China,” she continued.
“As part of the requirements for the programme, we were not only exposed to the process flow of the petroche-mical refinery but we also had the opportunity to gain an insight after exposure to the various technologies in the control room and on-sites. This whole experience is indeed a golden opportunity especially working in a foreign environment to acquire both technical and non-technical skills.”
On what she learned as part of the programme, “Teamwork is essential in our industry. The voice of the individuals plays an important role in important decision related matters. Our collective voice is part of this joint agreement with Mainland China as it affects the future pathway in this newly formed industry in Brunei Darussalam.
“To sum up, we acquired both technical (in terms of learning the various plant operations, Process Flow Diagrams, Process Instrumentation Diagrams of various process units) and non-technical skills.
“Hengyi Industries provided invaluable skills and experiences to prepare us for the future of its industry in Brunei Darussalam,” she added. “Our supervisors have also been a great source of practical knowledge and support from the very beginning. They deserve the credit for bringing the opportunity of excellent learning and exposure. With that, we are very grateful to Hengyi Industries and our colleagues for this chance.”
On her plans for the future, she said, “As agreed in the beginning of this scholarship programme, we have the opportunity to continue our journey by working for Hengyi Industries in its various departments. I am hoping this will give me a stronger background for my career. With the near completion of the projects, I look forward to giving my support in making a difference and opening new opportunities for our locals as we progress further.”
Heightened Work Responsibilities: Yap Ai Hui
Yap Ai Hui is currently in her final semester at UBD, and is interning at Hengyi Industries, which is the last stage of the programme for her.
“With this being my first internship in Brunei, the task that was assigned to me has heightened my work responsibility, communication skills as well as understanding the importance of each department.”
Recounting when she was selected for the programme, she shared that upon being chosen, she felt honoured and lucky to be part of this scholarship programme, which she called a golden opportunity.
On what the course has taught her, she said, “I have been learning the theory of basic foundation of engineering, the general process units of chemical engineering, and most importantly, health, safety and environment (HSE) which is crucial when working in a petrochemical plant. Besides that, during internship at Hengyi Headquarters, we got to learn from the engineers, who are in charge of the Pulau Muara Besar (PMB) project in Brunei.
“The programme has exposed us to different aspects, in terms of both cultural and learning experiences,” he continued. “Mandarin language classes were part of the programme to teach us chemical engineering related terms in Mandarin, which greatly eased our understanding during internship in China.
“Apart from studying at Zhejiang University, we also had the opportunity to undergo internship at Hengyi Headquarters. Another valuable practice was to gain first-hand experience by interning in a real life operational refinery plant, which no student could have gotten by just staying in university attending lectures.”
On the support Hengyi provided during the course, she said, “Hengyi Industries provided us full sponsorship for both overseas study and internship in China, including a monthly allowance, insurance, tuition and accommodation fees. We also had support and guidance from the programme coordinator upon arrival to help us settle down and handled different documentations required for international students.”
Great and Beneficial: Muna Fatinah binti Haji Jofri
Muna Fatinah is a scholar who joined the programme as part of the second intake and will be completing it this year in June.
On the selection process, she shared, “All throughout the semesters in UBD, I had to maintain a high CGPA and had to study hard for the test that would be given to us by Zhejiang University so as to be granted the scholarship. Moreover, we also had to go through an interview by Hengyi. After the process, Alhamdulillah I was chosen and I was extremely grateful, as this programme not only will enable me to find a work, but also enables me to gather more experience before entering the field.”
She shared that being a Hengyi scholar has been “great and beneficial”, and noted that she has been “lucky enough to be exposed to the working environment earlier than most.
“By undertaking the programme, I have been able to gain industry knowledge that cannot be learned anywhere else and I have also been able to develop my own interpersonal skills that are needed to work effectively with others and improve my critical thinking as well as my written and oral communication skills.
“One of the highlights of my experience in this programme was being able to live in China for more than a year in which I was able to experience the cultural differences.
“Even though there was a language barrier between the locals and a tad of difficulty in finding Halal food, overall it creates wonderful memories. In addition, to be able to experience how an actual plant operates was also one of the highlights of the experience.”
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