Pipeline Technician training with PETRONAS in Malaysia

TAFE Queensland SkillsTech, Queensland’s largest public provider of trade and technician training, will soon launch Australia’s first large-diameter pipeline training.   Business Manager Mr Malcolm Garrick spent a two week visit in Gladstone with Santos GLNG, followed by six weeks of pipeline training across the Malaysian Peninsular with joint venture partner PETRONAS.  Malcolm up-skilled with several of Santos GLNG’s pipeline technicians at the PETRONAS training facility,

 
“Accompanying the technicians from Santos GLNG into the field with PETRONAS was a wonderful learning experience I will take away from my training,” Malcolm said.

“I learnt three new words a day so that I could communicate more easily with my Malaysian teachers and this in itself has proven to be a highlight."Malcolm spent time in local villages in rural Malaysia while undertaking pipeline surveillance, right of way operations, and pipe digs, surveys and repairs.“I particularly enjoyed four-wheel driving through jungle, seeing wild animals, meeting the Kampong [locals] in their villages and eating wonderful food with the pipeline technicians,” he said. “I have drawn on the knowledge of PETRONAS and Santos GLNG’s pipeline operators, who answered my questions and contextualised our learning’s within the Australian regulatory environment.”

Malcolm will begin conveying his new-found knowledge of pipelines to SkillsTech Australia teachers in June. “Thanks to Santos GLNG and PETRONAS, SkillsTech Australia can now build a concise team of teachers who can travel to site to conduct large-diameter pipeline training,” he said.

“We will also be offering Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) in UEG40206 Certificate IV in Gas Industry Transmission Pipeline to people in the field who are working as pipeline technicians but do not hold a current qualification.”

For more information please email Garry Hargreaves at: garry.hargreaves@tafe.qld.edu.au