UG looking to bridge skills gap ahead of oil-and-gas industry

In efforts to boost local capacity-building ahead of Guyana’s oil-and-gas industry coming on stream, the University of Guyana (UG) on Friday hosted a one-day seminar focused on identifying and meeting the demands of specific skills that would be required when oil production commences off these local shores.
The University sees this symposium as an opportunity to begin orienting stakeholders towards strategic training, in order to support the impending oil-and-gas sector, having recognised the absence of the required engineering and operations management skills needed.

This initiative is the brainchild of Head of the Faculty of Technology, Elena Trim, and Resident Engineer Dr Vince Adams.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the symposium, held at the Marriott Hotel, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman lauded the University for taking the step to enhance the conversation on the country’s preparation for ‘first oil’.
“In developing the policies and systems to manage the sector, we are therefore committed to ensuring that both present and future generations will reap the benefits. The nexus between our current development efforts and repositioning our people, especially our youths, to be able to responsibly manage this sector and all of its ‘spin-off’ benefits is of the utmost importance to the Government,” he stated.
Trotman noted that Government is doing its part to ensure that an enabling environment is created for the emerging sector to thrive and the nation to flourish. He reminded of the recent arrangement for a $100 million grant to the University to enable capacity-building efforts such as the stakeholder symposium.
“I see this initiative by the University of Guyana as another pillar that builds on the firm foundation we wish to create, by helping us to continue a conversation about local content generally, and the demands for engineering and operations management skills within the emerging sector specifically. Here we can identify pressing needs as well as new capabilities that need to be developed or enhanced to help us close any existing gaps, and ensure that all Guyanese have the opportunity to benefit from the sector directly and indirectly,” Trotman added.
According to the Natural Resources Minister, the oil industry perhaps employs the highest ratios of engineering professionals, since this skillset is necessary along the entire value chain, from exploration to decommissioning of wells. To this end, Trotman outlined that despite the large capital employed, the industry does not employ as many persons directly as is the belief.
Highlighting that only four per cent of Trinidad’s population was directly involved in the oil-and-gas sector, the Minister added, “However, the industry generates revenues that can be made available to expand development and provide jobs in other sectors of the economy. Therefore, as you shift, think also of enhancing skills that are transferrable to other sectors.”
Among the objectives of the symposium are: to understand how to better align with the activities and plans of oil companies in Guyana; to understand and align with the priorities of Government; and to build partnerships with industry movers and shakers.
The latter, according to UG Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith, is paramount as the institution prepares for the delivery of programmes for the energy sector.
“This is a wonderful opportunity, not only to gather the Faculty of Technology’s input, but it’s an opportunity for us to build the partnerships that are going to be necessary to deliver what is designed in the Faculty of Technology,” he stated.
Professor Griffith went on to urge participants not only to listen during the seminar, but make contributions that would help the tertiary institution to fashion the kinds of programmes and partnerships that would redound to the benefit of the industry, the nation and the University.
The one-day symposium saw presentations delivered by Operations Manager of ExxonMobil, Doug McGhee; Chairman and Executive Director of CGX, Professor Suresh Narine; Dr David Alexander of the University of Trinidad and Tobago; Professor Andrew Jupiter of the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago; and Attorney-at-law and Oil and Gas Consultant Nigel Hughes.