Shell holds recruitment expo

MANILA, Philippines - The first Shell Recruitment Expo held recently in Makati City attracted more than 1,000 jobseekers, a milestone occurrence especially that Shell companies in the Philippines (SciP) is marking its centennial anniversary this year.

The leading global power, energy and gas technology company stressed the importance of human resources now more than ever as it faces its next 100 years of operation in the country.

“All of us want to be part of nation-building. In Shell, we give you that opportunity because that’s part of why we are here in the country,” said SciP country chairman Edgar Chua as he addressed the young participants.

From just six employees in 1914, SciP has grown to about 4,000 employees today across the country. Chua said more business expansions and investments are in the offing that will need more young talents who will continue growing the business in the years to come.

For instance, Shell Business Service Center (SBSC), the company’s business process outsourcing arm, plans to hire up to 1,500 more people over the next year or so. The center currently has about 3,000 employees, making it the biggest and most vital of the five Shell service centers worldwide, largely attributed to the quality and top performance of its staff.

Chua also said more employees will be needed for the expansion of Shell’s upstream and downstream businesses. Shell currently has 22 depots and close to 1,000 gasoline stations all over the country, comprising a market share of about 30 percent. Its Malampaya offshore platform operated by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) supplies gas to power generators equivalent to 30 percent of the country’s electricity requirement.

Shell is investing $1 billion for phases 2 and 3 of the gas field project that will see the construction of a new well and a depletion compression platform. Shell also plans to construct a P6-billion fuel import facility in Cagayan de Oro, a P7-billion new refinery and an $800-million liquefied natural gas import facility.

“We are operating critical economic assets like the Malampaya platform and the Tabangao refinery. We have to make sure that we are able to continue to supply fuel and energy to the industry, to the economy, to the country. It’s important that we have the best people making sure that these are always reliable and working,” added Gerboy Ortega, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. (PSPC) vice president for human resources.

Shell’s thrust is to continuously meet the increasing energy demand and supply challenges of the country, by delivering smarter products and cleaner energy, smarter infrastructure, promoting sustainable mobility, and by developing new energy sources such as cleaner-burning natural gas, to address the energy challenge while mitigating environmental impact.  

Janice Pamplona, SciP country recruitment manager, explained that the company hires many fresh graduates and experienced professionals every year, but it was the first time it organized a recruitment expo of such scale. The fair, which was organized by the recruitment, corporate and marketing departments of the company, was not just aimed to give young people career opportunities but also to make them aware of the products and services of Shell, its values and aspirations, and where they can contribute best.

Last year, around 800 people were hired for technical and non-technical positions at PSPC, SBSC and SPEX. Pamplona said Shell is targeting to add roughly the same number of people to its workforce this year.

Shell executives and employees shared information and insight into their work experiences and projects. Vice president for finance Shaiful B. Zanuddin talked about the corporate values of Shell and the many benefits of working in the company. Sebastian Quiniones, general manager and managing director of SPEX, talked about meeting future demand for energy through cleaner gas from the Malampaya consortium.

Highlight of the event was a presentation on the Shell Eco-marathon Asia, the regional leg of the prestigious smarter mobility competition that encouraged engineering students to develop fuel-efficient vehicles of the future. Industry lubricants business manager Lyndon Lumain and Shell reliability engineer Stanley Siahetiong drummed up excitement and participation in the Shell Eco-marathon that was held for the first time in Manila last February.