ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, April 23. Turkmenistan and Malaysia’s oil company Petronas discussed expanding cooperation in training highly qualified specialists for the oil and gas sector, Trend reports via the Turkmen Ministry of Education.
The talks were held during a meeting between Minister of Education of Turkmenistan Jumamyrat Gurbangeldiyev and Ambassador of Malaysia to Turkmenistan Mohd Suhaimi bin Ahmad Tajuddin, as well as a delegation from the Turkmen branch of Petronas Carigali and PETRONAS University of Technology.
The development of human capital for the energy industry was identified as a key area of bilateral cooperation, with particular emphasis on strengthening ties between vocational schools, universities, and educational and research institutions under Petronas.
The sides discussed opportunities for expanding collaboration with PETRONAS educational and training centers, including Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, the PETRONAS Institute of Technology, Alam Maritime Academy, as well as PETRONAS Leadership Centre, Yayasan PETRONAS, and Petrosains.
PETRONAS (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) is Malaysia’s fully state-owned oil and gas corporation and one of the largest energy companies in Southeast Asia, with integrated operations across the entire hydrocarbons value chain in more than 100 countries. Beyond its core upstream and downstream business, the company places strong emphasis on long-term human capital development through its flagship education initiatives, particularly the PETRONAS Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP), which funds talented students for undergraduate studies at leading local and international universities, including its own Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP).
PETRONAS also supports vocational and technical training institutions, internship pipelines, and structured talent development schemes, while collaborating with global universities and training centres to equip both Malaysian and international students with industry-relevant skills in engineering, energy, and related fields, with a particular focus on preparing future professionals for the oil and gas sector through scholarships, specialised courses, and industry-linked academic programmes.
Earlier, Turkmenistan announced the creation of 1,041 jobs as part of the fourth phase of development of the Galkynysh gas field, one of the largest in the world. The development of the fourth phase of the field began on April 17, 2026 and is being carried out jointly with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).