Institut Teknologi Petroleum PETRONAS (INSTEP) was awarded the prestigious Silver BTEC Award for International Institution of the Year 2021 for the first time ever. The achievement was celebrated at the 11th anniversary of Pearson’s annual BTEC Awards hosted online on 7th July 2021 at 2pm (British Summer Time).

Commenting on INSTEP’s achievement, PETRONAS Senior Vice President of Group Human Resource Management, Farehana Hanapiah, who is also the Board Chairperson of PETRONAS Technical Training Sdn Bhd (PTTSB), said, “PETRONAS continuously advocates for education and human capital development, aligned with our Purpose as a ‘progressive energy and solutions partner, enriching lives for a sustainable future’.

“I am immensely proud of INSTEP’s achievement as the Silver Award for International Institution of the Year 2021. This is INSTEP’s very first win and we are honoured to receive this award. Winning this award substantiates INSTEPs relentless effort in progressively delivering BTEC qualifications since 2014, and PETRONAS strong commitment to human capital investments despite the challenges faced during these unprecedented times.”

BTEC, also known as Business and Technology Education Council, is an international accreditation body which focuses on technical expertise. Nearly a million learners across the globe completed BTEC courses over the past year; the career-focused qualifications are a vital route for those pursuing careers in sectors such as IT, business, the creative industries, healthcare, engineering, construction and future industries. This is especially important in the current context as the UK responds to the global pandemic and looks to kickstart projects to speed economic recovery.

INSTEP has been playing its vital role as an internationally-recognised technical learning institution in designing and delivering BTEC Self-Regulated Framework (SRF) qualifications to meet the Oil & Gas industry learners’ needs. To date, INSTEP has certified 1,438 BTEC Level 2 learners and 2,357 BTEC Level 3 learners under its Bridging Programmes: Technical Energy Enrichment Programme (TEP) for PETRONAS as well as customised TEP for international clients such as Oil Search Limited (OSL), Papua New Guinea and Production Operation Training (POT), Iraq.

As PETRONAS’ technical learning arm, INSTEP has been playing its vital role by constantly providing a steady stream of sustainable talent pipeline to the industry. INSTEP designs training pathways to progressively strengthen our learners’ competencies through blended learning approach, which encompasses face-to-face classroom learning, hands-on training at practical workshops, experiential learning at INSTEP’s world class Upstream Downstream Training Plant (UDTP), as well as On-the-Job training at the commercial plant.

Other than technical learning, INSTEP, as a wholesome learning solutions partner, provides opportunity for learners to fully explore the beauty of Malaysia and blend into our culture and local community. The fully furnished supporting facilities at INSTEP, such as sports facilities, in-house clinic, cafeteria and accommodation render a wholesome learning experience to our learners, who are well taken care of throughout their transformational learning journey at INSTEP.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, INSTEP swiftly adjusted to the new norm and embraced the opportunity by providing digital learning solutions via Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) to upskill technical workforce virtually to ensure competency in managing day-to-day operations. To date, a total of 886 programmes were successfully delivered via VILT, upskilling more than 10,000 learners.

Cindy Rampersaud, Senior Vice President of BTEC and Apprenticeships at Pearson, said, “2021 has been another extraordinary year for our BTEC learners, tutors, teachers, colleges and schools and I am delighted that today we are able to come together and celebrate this year’s winners – and all the individuals who will be awarded a BTEC qualification this year. The hard work and commitment demonstrated by our award winners, all of whom have achieved great things during a time of unprecedented disruption, is extraordinary and I am proud that we are able to celebrate their achievements.”

Missed the online award ceremony? Catch the replay here!