50 graduate from TOTALTEC oilfield safety, operators programme

Fifty persons on Friday graduated from the TOTALTEC Academy Oilfields Services training programme. Among those who graduated are three women.

The graduates underwent a rigorous eight-week programme consisting of theoretical and practical training. During that period, the students completed nine courses covering 64 modules of safety and oil and gas operational training.
The recruits, who all attained over 85 per cent pass mark, were trained by First Competence Ltd, which is an approved learning centre certified by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The programme was provided free of cost since all recruits received full scholarships from TOTALTEC.
The graduates include previous students of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Guyana, along with some workers who were laid off from the sugar, bauxite and gold mining industries. All 50 graduates will be employed in sections of the oil and gas sector.
CEO of TOTALTEC, Lars Mangal said that the graduation is a momentous occasion for Guyana.
“I would say that it is a momentous event for the industry in Guyana because we are graduating 50 young Guyanese men and women, the first time that we have been able to get through 50 graduates in three months but we have been able to accelerate since we have started 15 months ago to now have trained 250 Guyanese,” Lars revealed.
British High Commissioner to Guyana, Gregory Quinn shared similar sentiments and further stated that the graduation is a clear indication of TOTALTEC’s benefits to Guyana.
“Today’s (Friday) ceremony marks the start of a new year for 50 young Guyanese who successfully completed the programme. They have all secured positions in the oil and gas industry, that is a significant achievement and we should all be proud and happy that they have done so” Quinn briefly remarked.
Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman congratulated TOTALTEC’s CEO for the achievement and for raising the bar for similar academies that will soon come to Guyana.
TOTALTEC Academy has developed programmes to international standards which deliberately ensure gender diversity in their recruitment.
The academy has since formed a strategic alliance with MATPAL Marine Institute which provides International Maritime Organisation (IMO) certified training for seafarers. The alliance provides new, integrated training programmes, geared to accelerate the development of a world-class Guyanese workforce to participate in both the maritime and oil and gas industries.
TOTALTEC will soon develop the academy into a world class campus spanning 3-acres and which will offer a full curriculum of oil and gas training.