When many perceived that the future of the Petrochemical Engineering (PE) field is bleak, two alumni offered participants assurance through their sharing and experiences at the Alumni Sharing Series webinar titled “An Outlook on Petrochemical Engineering” organised by the Division of Programme Promotion (DPP) on 10 July 2021 via Zoom.

The webinar was moderated by Department of Petrochemical Engineering lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Yamuna Munasamy from the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, who assured participants that the Petrochemical Engineering field will continue to offer various opportunities, and foresee that more jobs will be created in that field.

First to speak was invited speaker and alumnus Yeong Wei Ming, who is currently working at Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd under the Upstream Process Safety Department. Prior to this job, Yeong shared his first working experience in Airelastic Industries Sdn Bhd, a rubber company, as an Executive Management Trainee. When he was promoted to Technical and Operation Executive, he enlightened participants on lessons he learnt from his roles in the production line management, research and development management, and logistics and transport management. Now with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, Yeong spoke about his experience working as a protégé GEES Apprentice in which he is involved in Process Hazards Analysis, Deep Dive Analysis, and asset budgeting. 

As he shared his experiences, Yeong mentioned that the UTAR programme has built a strong foundation that has helped him in his current job. “In this current job, I was able to apply what I was taught in my class. Some of the things that remained relevant from my studies in this job are organic chemistry, polymer technology, occupational safety and health in petrochemical plant, plat design, petrochemical process and law for engineers. These lessons I learnt in my classes previously were very applicable,” said Yeong.

He added “The things I learnt were very relevant in the industry and this is why we need to commit ourselves to continuous learning because the industry is continuously changing and improving. My experience from these two jobs has also taught me on determining my career path. I was able to determine my interest and passion in a certain field and hence, I am not in the oil and petrol industry. Therefore, when making a job transition, it is important to take into consideration our interest in that specific field we are about to venture into. Lastly, in any job, it is important that we communicate effectively. We need to be mindful that everyone comes from a different educational background, so it is wise that we speak using simple terms, so work gets done more efficiently.”

The second speaker was alumna Nagarathanam Ramadas, who graduated from UTAR in the year 2018. Upon graduating, she joined Top Glove as a researcher in production. Soon after, she resigned from Top Glove to further her studies in Master of Engineering Science. Currently, while pursuing her master’s study, Nagarathanam is also working in UP Packing Sdn Bhd as an engineer in Research and Development.

Throughout this journey, Nagarathanam mentioned that she was able to apply things she learnt from her studies in UTAR. She also advised participants on the importance of soft skills in the workplace and encouraged them to enhance their soft skills. She also reminded participants who are still studying to appreciate lecturers’ guidance because their teachings are essential to build a strong foundation of their knowledge in the PE field. Nagarathanam also expressed her gratitude to UTAR for providing her a platform to be exposed to the industry, which makes the lessons she learnt in classes essentially relevant.

The online sharing session ended with an interactive Q&A.