Kota Kinabalu: Sabah must strengthen collaboration between government, industry and education institutions to develop a future-ready workforce capable of supporting the State’s growing energy industry as digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and the energy transition reshape employment demands.
The message emerged during a plenary session at the 13th Sabah Oil, Gas and Energy Conference (SOGCE) 2026, titled Building an Energy-Skilled Sabah: Talent, TVET, Certification and Workforce Transition, moderated by Semarak Training Founder cum Chief Executive Officer Faiz Latip.
The discussion featured MyMahir TalentCorp Malaysia (Development) Vice President Nazliyah Mohd Ali, Oil,Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC) Gas and Services Equipment (OGSE) Talent and Bumiputera Unit Noor Azura Hasran, and North Borneo University College Vice Chancellor Professor Dato’ Dr. Azimuddin Bahari.
Opening the discussion, Faiz said Sabah’s ambitions to expand its energy sector would require a strong pipeline of local talent capable of meeting the needs of both traditional oil and gas operations and emerging energy industries.
He said the participation of representatives from government agencies, industry and higher education institutions reflected the importance of building a coordinated approach towards workforce development.
Nazliyah said TalentCorp had undertaken impact studies covering 22 economic sectors to examine how AI, digitalisation and the green economy would transform future workforce requirements, including the oil and gas as well as energy and power sectors.
She said the studies were designed to help industry, policymakers and education providers better understand future occupational trends, emerging job roles and the competencies required as technology continues to evolve.
“The challenge today is no longer simply identifying the skills that will be needed, but translating those findings into practical pathways for talent development,” she said.
Nazliyah said rapid technological advances meant students and employees alike must continuously update their skills to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive labour market.
She said digital literacy, AI awareness and sustainability knowledge had become baseline competencies across industries, while critical thinking, adaptability and analytical capability were equally important as organisations embrace new technologies.
Beyond technical expertise, she said employers continue to place significant value on communication skills, noting that many graduates possess sound technical knowledge but struggle to articulate ideas effectively in the workplace.
She encouraged universities and students to make greater use of TalentCorp’s MyMahir platform, which provides information on emerging occupations, future skills requirements, competency gaps and recommended training pathways based on industry demand.
Nazliyah said the platform was intended to help students prepare for jobs likely to emerge over the next three to five years rather than focusing solely on current employment trends.
She added that TalentCorp was also developing future-readiness assessment tools to help companies benchmark workforce capabilities and prepare employees for AI adoption and digital transformation.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of stronger collaboration between industry and education providers in ensuring academic programmes remain aligned with evolving workforce requirements.
Noor Azura said reducing the gap between graduate competencies and industry expectations would require more comprehensive labour market data and continuous engagement with employers.
She said MPRC’s Industry Skills Framework had been developed in collaboration with industry players and higher education institutions to identify competency standards required for various occupations within the oil and gas sector.
The framework, she said, provides guidance on technical competencies, career pathways and professional requirements while helping institutions better align academic programmes with industry expectations.
Noor Azura said certification remains a critical component of workforce development because many roles within the highly regulated energy industry require recognised professional qualifications before personnel are permitted to work.
“In many cases, certification is effectively a licence to operate,” she said.
She noted that qualifications such as safety certifications and industry-recognised competency programmes not only improve employability but also ensure personnel possess the knowledge and capability needed to operate safely in high-risk working environments.
However, Noor Azura said certification alone was insufficient, stressing that employers also look for adaptability, digital competency, problem-solving ability and strong interpersonal skills when recruiting new employees.
She also acknowledged that maintaining professional certifications can be costly for both employers and employees, particularly where multiple licences and competency renewals are required throughout a person’s career.
Faiz said the discussion demonstrated that workforce planning could no longer be undertaken independently by individual organisations but instead required sustained cooperation between government agencies, industry and education providers.
He observed that labour market requirements are becoming increasingly dynamic as technological advancement accelerates, making regular engagement between stakeholders more important than ever.
The moderator also noted that workforce planning should increasingly be guided by reliable industry data to ensure training programmes reflect actual labour market demand rather than historical trends.
Panellists agreed that Sabah’s energy ambitions would depend not only on investment in infrastructure and technology but equally on investment in people through continuous upskilling, reskilling and closer collaboration across the talent development ecosystem.
They said building a highly skilled local workforce capable of adapting to technological change would strengthen Sabah’s competitiveness as the State continues to expand its role within Malaysia’s energy industry.
