Brief Biography
He graduated from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering. Before graduation, he completed his internship in Top Glove Corporation Berhad in 2016 as a Research and Development Industrial Trainee. He started his career in ExxonMobil Research and Engineering as a Process Monitoring and Analysis Engineer in 2017, contributed to various engineering studies, which resulted in margin improvement from increased yields and energy efficiency. Currently, he is working as an Alkylation Process Engineer, leading engineering benchmarking studies to identify margin improvement opportunities across units via improvement on advanced control applications.
Personal experience when stepping into a career
ExxonMobil provides many pieces of training for fresh graduates to adapt to the company. Although the pressure of working is still high despite the training given, as the company is filled with people with extraordinary capabilities, the competitiveness will prompt one to work harder and become a better self.
For a country to grow, we need a strong industry;
For an investor to be attracted, we need solid graduates;
For sustainable national growth, we need well-developed industries.
The graduate engineer must know about the optimization of the industry for the industry to be at its peak.
Tip 1: You can expect a starting salary of RM3000 - RM4000 on average as a fresh graduate.
Brief Biography
A little brief about my background; I'm a graduate from University of Nottingham with first class honours in Chemical Engineering in 2019. I started working as an Operations Executive in Kerry Ingredients Malaysia right after my graduation for about a year before I had the opportunity to join Nestle. Currently, I'm working as a First Line Manager in Nestle, where I'm in charge of overseeing the manufacturing of soluble coffee.
Mr. Toh Beng Leong
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Are there any training or workshops available to assist the transition from the fresh graduate to work-life?
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Is there any potential job or position available for the chemical engineer in your company?
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This is your Project description. Provide a brief summary that will help visitors understand your work.
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Possibility for the engineers to be replaced in the future
Despite the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence in the industry, the role of engineering in monitoring these systems is still irreplaceable.
Moreover, the demand for resources will escalate following the world population growth, more industries will have to be developed for catering to the increasing demands, this is where engineers will be needed, and thus the role of an engineer will remain significant in the industries.
Personal Advice for the undergraduates and the youngsters
As a university student, it is important to be well-balanced between study life and co-curricular life for one to be well equipped with social skills and knowledge.
The need for pursuing further education (Master’s degree or Ph.D.) depends on one's perspective. One might find that a bachelor’s degree is insufficient for a better career, and one might find that working experiences are more crucial in developing career skills.
Tip 2: The knowledge learned during a bachelor’s degree will serve as the crucial fundamentals during a career. It would be significant to have strong fundamentals before stepping into a career.
Summarised Outcome
Personal experience when stepping into a career
Previously, in Kerry Ingredients, there were only certain times where engineering knowledge was put into practice. Now, in Nestle, the role is more on managing the employees and arranging the workforce, while we apply the knowledge in studies more during troubleshooting:
Tip 1: Always be familiar with mass balance, which is fundamental to most processes
Tip 2: Engage and learn as much as possible during a practical internship, especially as a fresh graduate, for better contribution during discussions with seniors
Tip 3: Expected salary is between RM300 and RM4000, depending on the company, while certain companies might offer up to RM5000
Potential jobs in Nestle for Chemical Engineering graduates
Line managers, Quality Executive, Engineers [various titles] (Mechanical, Electrical ...... etc)
Changes in the industry during the pandemic
Working vacancies are still available, especially in the Food and beverage industry, which is expanding exponentially. Meanwhile, one might need to spend more effort and time on a desired job opportunity in the Oil and gas industry
Changes and challenges for the industry in the era of automation
Implementing automation might cause a spike in unemployment of engineering graduates, especially as the operators of the manually operating system when more automation-related jobs are introduced. Engineers are still significant in overseeing the process and trouble-shoot the problems brought by automation processes.
Currently, Malaysia is still at a disadvantage in engineering technologies, compared to more advanced countries like Japan. Therefore, manual labour and operations will still be significant for a couple of years before automation systems will be fully employed.
Personal advice for the undergraduates and the youngsters
Despite the importance of academic studies, involvement in clubs, societies, and internship experiences is equally crucial during employment: Leadership skills will be the part and parcels to take on higher titles.
Further studies are encouraged if one is interested in a particular topic, as certain companies will look for researchers to assist its specialties: While for the preference to work after graduation, computation skills, such as Microsoft Excel, Python, and Data Analytics, will be a bonus during a career.
Lastly, one should have greater connections with people in the industry by engaging more in societies for better job placement. One should not be discouraged when the academic knowledge does not apply to earlier stages of work, as it can be significant at certain stages later in the actual work field.
