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).