7 Nov, 2017
Petronas ICT launches programme to nurture “Brilliant Young Minds”
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 November 2017, (Bernama) — PETRONAS ICT Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of PETRONAS recently concluded its inaugural CSI programme named ‘The Brilliant Young Minds”, when participants at the programme showcase pitched to a panel of judges real-world solutions they had developed for the oil and gas industry.
The Brilliant Young Minds is an eight-month long programme that aims to nurture secondary school students with an interest in science and technology, as well as to equip them with higher order thinking skills such as analysis, creation, logical reasoning, problem solving which are among essential competencies to thrive in the future Digital Economy.
Team Honesty fielding a query from one of the judges at the Brilliant Young Minds Programme Showcase, PETRONAS ICT Business Chief Information Officer of Corporate Functions Johan Affendi (far right)
“The Brilliant Young Minds programme leverages on PETRONAS ICT’s core competencies in digital innovation, ICT knowledge and skills to help the young participants learn robotics and embedded programming,” said PETRONAS ICT Sdn. Bhd. Chief Executive Officer Redza Goh.
“The programme promotes critical and creative thinking to help our youth consider opportunities that solve real-world issues, as well as improve their communication skills and build confidence when pitching ideas,” Goh added.
A total of thirty Form One and Two students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Damansara Jaya (SMK DJ) and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seksyen 7 Shah Alam (SMK S7) were selected to be part of the programme.
During the programme the students were introduced to various digital literacy tools such as Arduino robotics and programming, and learned to project manage and problem solve by developing prototypes. Throughout the programme duration they were guided by PETRONAS ICT staff and subject matter experts from across PETRONAS’ various business units who volunteered as mentors.
The programme which is in support of the National Education Philosophy has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) #mydigitalmaker movement.
One of the judges at the showcase, Vice-President, Talent Development and Digital Entrepreneurship for MDEC Sumitra Nair was impressed with the progress of the students said, “I think the quality of ideas, as well as the students’ presentations were really outstanding, considering the fact that they are only in Form One and Two and for many of them, this is their first exposure to Arduino and programming.
“They have been able to apply their ideas and problem-solve using new technologies they learnt from the programme. It’s really a lot that they have been able to do in just a very short time.”
A teacher from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seksyen 7, Noor Liza Binti Ishak shared, “I really consider this programme a success. We feel honoured to be chosen to be part of this programme. I think it is a brilliant programme when you introduce science and technology to the youngsters. It is new to our school and the students are so excited.”
The winning team at the showcase, Team Honesty from SMK S7, felt that their journey has been challenging, yet fun, and an amazing experience for them.
“I think it’s amazing because we get to learn so many things and try out new things,” said Honesty team member Eqhwan Tirmidzi Mohd Rashidee.
The exposure has encouraged some of the students to participate and win prizes in other innovator-related competitions at the state level, with others expressing an interest to enter future state and district-level science fairs and competitions.
PETRONAS ICT Sdn Bhd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), Malaysia’s fully-integrated petroleum company. Its multinational workforce of more than 1,600 people deliver digital solutions and ICT services within PETRONAS in 65 countries, servicing more than 51,000 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit www.petronasict.com.
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