Several oil and gas-related courses, especially in the area of international petroleum law, will soon be offered at Nations University through a joint partnership with the International Human Resources Development Corporation (IHRDC).
Left to right: Nations Incorporated Director, Dr Brian O’Toole; Nations’ Academic Director Taslikyah Fox; and IHRDC Director of Business Development Tim Trash
Nations University Director Dr Brian O’Toole has said that although his institution offers training in management, the need is felt to offer technology-related courses in the area of oil and gas, mainly because there is need for capacity building in that area in Guyana.
“We find that with the find of oil and gas, there is this scenario (that) either we end up importing great numbers of people from Trinidad – which will be good for them but will do very little to enhance certain Guyanese capabilities – or we will develop a long-term vision of training for locals,” he explained.
To kick-start the training, Nations University, through IHRDC, will be offering a workshop in mid-August this year. Already, many companies have expressed an interest and have vowed to send several of their employees to that event, the university’s director told this publication.
It was also noted that the university is in the process of finalising accreditation for the courses through one of the United Kingdom’s largest vocational education organisations, the City and Guilds of London.
“We will make it as affordable as we can. There are going to be very short courses – some between 30 and 40 hours — to much longer ones. All of our courses will be priced as (cheaply) as we can (allow). We will ensure that it meets (as) many pockets as possible in Guyana,” O’Toole said when asked about prices for these courses.
Meanwhile, in providing an overview of his company, IHRDC Director of Business Development, Tim Trash, said that IHRDC has been in operation for over 40 years, and is a worldwide leader in training and competency development for the oil and gas industry.
“We continue to offer the best instructional programmes, e-learning solutions, and competency management available in the industry today, and training solutions for organisations that work in the oil and gas industry,” he added.
According to him, IHRDC currently works with more than 150 clients across the globe, and delivers unique training solutions that focus on operation and maintenance, and technical skills as well as geosciences.
“We also offer the largest competency programme in the global industry for oil and gas professionals, incorporating what we call CMS online, which is an industry-leading competency system (that) has the largest competency data base in the industry,” he explained.
Speaking specifically about the International Petroleum Law course, Trash said the course is a practical one that develops the technical competency of students.
“The law programme is unique in that there are lots of legal parameters that have to be reviewed and discussed, and are considered as oil is produced for a country. We have taught this overview course in Ghana, Uganda and Kenya, and we are excited to teach this in August,” he said.
The IHRDC official said the course is suited for anyone involved in tax regulation or administration in terms of the contracts, and is also suited for people involved in financial decisions.
Two instructors have been identified to facilitate the courses. Both of these individuals have extensive experience in working for major oil and gas companies and in other related fields.
Aside from offering these courses, the university also plans to partner with one of the major oil agencies that are already here in Guyana, to enter into a joint proposal to develop a state-of-the-art laboratory to train electricians, mechanics and other specialist skills in the oil and gas industry.
“We will also train technicians not just in oil and gas, but for the other industries required in Guyana. People who leave to go overseas will have internationally accredited training…The idea is that some of those who plan to leave, as they already plan to do, will leave with international qualification,” he said.
To facilitate this, the university has commenced construction of a four-storey building. Although sponsorship is being sought, O’Toole said construction will commence soon, as it will cater for those interested in receiving the technical training to work in the local oil and gas industry.
