Myanmar Asset Press Release

26 February 2018, Yangon, Myanmar – PTTEP Myanmar Asset has budgeted US$380,000 for the development of Myanmar’s technical workers under phase two of the Technical Capability Building and Development Program, which will run for five years from 2018 to 2022. The fund will be used to provide trainees financial support for the training courses and assessment fees for over 1,500 trainees and assesses, as well as upgrading the facility and equipment at the National Skills Training Centre. This was announced by PTTEP Myanmar Asset General Manager, Mr. Piya Sukhumpanumet at the 2017 certificate awarding ceremony held at the Myanmar Engineering Society Building in Yangon today.

Launched in 2015, the Technical Capacity Building and Development Program is a collaborative project by PTTEP Myanmar Asset, the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population and the National Skills Training Centre, with full support from Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). Designed to address the lack of skilled technical manpower within Myanmar, the program aims to increase the supply of skilled local manpower to support Myanmar’s development, while improving the employability of local labor, through infrastructure development and technical training.

Under phase one of the program (2015 – 2017), 763 Myanmar locals benefited from a total of 25 Welding, Air-Conditioner Installation and Repair, and Electrical training courses. During this period, 150 participants also completed the Welder, Air-Conditioner and Electrician National Skills Standards Authority (NSSA) Assessments. In total, PTTEP contributed $161,708 over the last three years. This was used to renovate and provide new equipment for the National Skills Training Centre’s welding and air-conditioner workshops, and provide trainees financial support for the training courses and NSSA assessment fees.

“Myanmar has undergone many changes and rapid developments since 2010. However, the lack of skilled labor needed to fulfill the country’s development needs meant that foreign skilled manpower had to be hired to fill this gap. As a result, many local laborers were unable to benefit fully from the increasing employment opportunities,” said Mr. Piya Sukhumpanumet.

“As a long-term trusted partner and investor in Myanmar, PTTEP Myanmar Asset collaborated with the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population and National Skills Training Centre to uplift the technical skills of Myanmar’s workforce through the Technical Capacity Building and Development Program in 2015, with MOGE’s strongly support. We are grateful for the Ministry’s, Training Centre’s and MOGE’s support over the last three years, and look forward to driving positive economic and employment outcomes for more Myanmar technical workers in the next phase of this program,” he added.

399 candidates who participated in last year’s program were recognized at the 2017 certificate awarding ceremony today. 80 successful trainees out of 100 who took the Air-conditioner and Electrician NSSA Assessments were also awarded at the event, which was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, Ministry of Electricity and Energy, Yangon Regional Government, NSSA, PTTEP and its guests, and successful trainees.

U Sein Win, Director General of the Department of Labor under the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population, commented: “Skilled labor is critical for our country’s progress, as we embark on more development and infrastructure projects. The joint capacity building program with PTTEP Myanmar Asset is one of the ways in which we are addressing this need. So far, around 80% of trainees has gained employment upon completion of the program. While this is encouraging, there is much more to be done. We look forward to helping more workers improve their skills and gain better employment in the second phase of the project.”

Daw Khin Mar Aye, Principal of the National Skills Training Centre, added: “We aim to train about 500 local workers from in total 12 training courses in 2018. The first training course will be Electrical training which will be held in March and other training program activities will be announced in local newspapers ahead of time. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for these courses.”

For the 2^nd phase, we and PTTEP Myanmar Asset still focus to provide the Welding, Air-Conditioner Installation and Repair, and Electrical training courses because we aim to fulfill the country’s need, she said.