Muscat - BP Oman inaugurated its Technicians Training Centre in Ghala under the patronage of H E Dr Mohammed al Rumhi, Minister of Oil & Gas, on Monday. BP will recruit and train over 100 Omani technicians over five years to support field operations for the Khazzan gas project.
The Technicians Training Centre, which is operated by the National Training Institute LLC (NTI), will provide a world-class learning environment for Omanis recruited from technical colleges, to develop skills needed to become qualified technicians and operators.
Speaking at the event, Dave Campbell, general manager of BP Oman, said, "BP Oman is committed to developing our workforce and building local capability through investing in young Omanis. The Technicians Training Centre is a major part of that effort."
BP's nearly four-year technicians development programme churns out qualified instrumentation, mechanical, electrical and production technicians. It includes a foundation year of workshops and classroom-based learning. In subsequent years, the trainees will have hands-on practical training at a live BP operational work-site and they will enrol in BP's technician competency assurance programme and work towards gaining professional certification.
Campbell said that around 20 trainees have completed their foundation year at the training centre and have embarked on assignments with BP's international operations. "The opportunity to gain experience internationally is a unique aspect of the programme," he added.
In December last year, the Oman government and BP signed a gas-sale agreement and an amended production sharing agreement for development of the Khazzan project in Block 61.
© Muscat Daily 2014
