Paul and Afiq: Classmates and Colleagues

Afiq studied mechanical engineering in Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and ever since he graduated, he had been passionate about landing a job at a Japanese international company so that he could build his career in an aspirational environment. However, to succeed in his goal, he had to pave his way by first gaining experience elsewhere.

Afiq started his career by joining a local contractor in Malaysia, where he worked on projects that involved the design and installation of Malaysia's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. He then moved to another position where he was exposed to air-conditioning systems on bigger scale structures. Working on these projects prepared him for his current role at Toyokanetsu.

Meanwhile, Paul got his electrical engineering degree in 2017 and started his career as operations manager in airport maintenance. However, after just one year he was scouted by his current manager at Toyokanetsu, which was the beginning of his career as a project coordinator.

Since his entire industrial exposure was in the railway and construction industries, Afiq wasn't familiar with oil and gas industry practices. So, in order to upskill himself for his job, he started exploring the available training options and was introduced to TWI by one of Malaysia's engineering society group members. Once their manager got to know about Afiq's plan of furthering his studies, he encouraged Paul to join the training as well.

So far, Afiq and Paul have completed multiple training courses including Welding Technology for Non-Welding Personnel, Basic NDT for Managers and Engineers, Repair and Maintenance Welding, Welding Procedures and Welder Qualification as per ASME IX, Introduction to Blasting and Painting, Basic Welding Metallurgy for Non-Metallurgists, Basic Practical Welding and now they are attending the Introduction to Corrosion course.

Afiq and Paul have found the training very relevant and beneficial to their job, with Afiq saying:

"These courses have been very useful! They gave us a very good exposure and in future projects we have a clear idea about how things are working. The courses have been quite intensive, but after completing only three days of training, from zero knowledge, we are now able to draft and construct a WPS."

Afiq and Paul both agree that their lecturers, Mr. Badrul and Faisal, are very well-versed on the subjects they teach, as Paul noted:

"They are extremely helpful and know their topics very deeply and are able to convey their knowledge to the students with ease."

Aiming to become certified plant inspectors, Paul and Afiq are now considering attending more courses as their initial steps towards achieving their goal.