Sarawak Energy awards nearly half of 2024 scholarships to Sarawakian women

KUCHING: Sarawak Energy’s 2024 Scholarship Programme has awarded nearly half of its scholarships to Sarawakian women this year, showcasing the company’s commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity in its workforce.

Sarawak Energy Group CEO Datuk Sharbini Suhaili said this reflects the organisation’s focus on merit, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in the scholarship selection process.

“Aligning with our commitment to inclusive development for a sustainable future, we emphasised merit-based selection while ensuring diversity and equity.

“This has resulted in more female scholars and a growing number of recipients from communities surrounding our projects and operations,” he said.

He said this during the 2024 Sarawak Energy Scholarship Award Ceremony in conjunction with its 10th year anniversary held at Sheraton Hotel here, Thursday (Sept 12).

For 2024, the programme awarded scholarships to 127 students from a pool of 1,846 applicants. Sharbini added that the company had allocated RM16 million for the programme in 2024, an increased investment compared to previous years.

He also said around 30 per cent of this year’s scholars came from areas near Sarawak Energy’s projects, including Belaga, Bintulu, Dalat, Daro, and Kapit, representing 32 students.

Additionally, he said Sarawak Energy provides internship opportunities to its scholars to equip them with hands-on experience, mentoring, and professional development to prepare them for future roles in the power utility industry.

He further noted 75 per cent of the company’s scholars have been offered employment with Sarawak Energy, a testament of the organisation’s commitment to developing a sustainable talent pipeline.

Since 2020, the company has also onboarded two cohorts of 71 vocational scholars pursuing Diplomas in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at Universiti Tenaga Malaysia (Uniten).

“These courses provide training that aligns with the needs of Sarawak Energy and the broader power utility sector,” he added.

The scholarship programme is a vital component of Sarawak Energy’s corporate social responsibility efforts, aimed at fostering inclusive development and unlocking the potential of talented Sarawakian students.

Since 2014, Sarawak Energy has awarded 1,019 scholarships, and an additional 166 employees have pursued further studies through the company’s Continuing Education Programme.

Also present were Sarawak Energy group executive committee members, Human Resources manager Sim Swee Ling, and representatives from universities.