High demand for new skills within next 5 years – SLB’s Regional HR Director

…as Guyanese to move up in leadership roles in O&G

Regional Human Resources Director for Schlumberger (SLB) Nicholas Tuma anticipates that within the next five years, there would be a high demand for new skills in the local workforce in areas of carbon management, regulatory compliance and sustainability roles.
He made this remark last week during a panel discussion on “building a future ready workforce” at the Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo.
Tuma, who hails from Uganda, said he has already observed a growth of Guyanese nationals into several leadership roles in the oil and gas sector and he expects that within a few years, this progression will rapidly continue.
“For example, I anticipate that in five years, my position would be occupied by a Guyanese national,” he expressed.
“Additionally, several of our business leaders, we anticipate that in five years, they would be Guyanese nationals or other Caribbean nationals that would be taking those roles,” Tuma added.
Speaking on the new skills he anticipates becoming in high demand soon, Tuma explained that in order for Guyana to meet this need, its leaders have to be very intentional.

“We have to develop an inclusive workforce that has more women working in the energy sector, more people from underrepresented communities with the right skills,” the HR professional posited.
Director of the Local Content Secretariat in Guyana Dr Martin Pertab agrees, noting that local authorities are not just looking at workforce development in oil and gas, but across all sectors of the economy.
He emphasised that the government – through various initiatives – has been assiduously working to upskill the population, especially in technical and professional fields that translate beyond oil and gas.
“For this year, 2025, based on our latest estimate, we expect to see an additional 900 new jobs in the industry and the bulk of those jobs are basically among the technical and professional,” Dr Pertab noted, adding that many of the skills needed for the growing oil and gas industry can be repurposed for other sectors.
As the job market becomes more competitive, the LCS Director underscored the importance of continuous investment not only in training citizens, but connecting them with jobs that fit their skillsets.
In this regard, he noted that the LCS has rolled out a paid internship programme to introduce students in their last year of studies to real-life on-the-job experiences with Tier One companies.
The goal, he said, is to not only ensure Guyanese are afforded opportunities to work in the lucrative sector, but for them to move up in positions of leadership.
“Now, we have Guyanese who have been the system for more than five years and we expect that certain positions that are nontechnical, we expect to see Guyanese taking up these positions very soon,” Dr Pertab said.
Moreover, the LCS Director referred to conversations he’s had with the Ministry of Home Affairs for a more coordinated approach to the issuance of work permits for the oil and gas sector.
“The whole idea is we truly want to ensure that any opportunities that are nontechnical, Guyanese must be given a fair opportunity to take up those positions,” he noted.
Meanwhile, during the panel discussion, the matter of the generational gap between the workforce was discussed. Tuma noted that this gap should not pose an issue since each generation brings with them, their own strengths, which companies must learn to leverage.
He said the older generation has more tribal work knowledge while the younger generation better understands the digital world, and when these strengths are combined, it creates a recipe for success for organisations.
Furthermore, he said companies can also benefit from reverse mentorship initiatives where the older employees are mentored by their younger colleagues about the new things such as artificial intelligence and automation.
Tuma also emphasised that it is very important for organisations to foster an environment of continuous learning.