http://www.getenergyevent.com News Template RSS feed en-us Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:59:07 GMT Businesses operating in the oil and gas industry are facing a ampquothiring dilemmaampquot as the number of skilled workers is far outstripped by the vacancies being created by ongoing growth in the sector That is according to John Breed a spokesman for Global Corp one of the largest offshore drilling firms in the world who explained that years of underinvestment in the recruitment and training of workers has left the industry seriously short of skilled workers Coupled with a recent acceleration in efforts to find new resources with major discoveries having been made off the costs of Brazil and Saudi Arabia in the past few months this has led to many industry chiefs looking to step up their employment efforts For example Noble is planning on bringing five new drilling rigs on line in the near future though this will require the recruitment of up to 1500 new workers an increase of 20 per cent on current levels with this shortage currently being seen across the board ampquotYou go from a guy on the floor with mud on his hands and a wrench to a guy working on electronicsampquot Mr Breed told CNN ampquotWe face a hiring dilemmaampquotOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Oil-and-gas-industries-face-hiring-dilemma-amid-boom-_18750209 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:14:00 GMT The PetroSkills Member Alliance has been further strengthened with the news that Swift Energy PTTEP and Woodside have all opted to join its oil and gas training initiative Created seven years ago through the merging of BP Shell and OGCI training programmes the alliance has swiftly grown to be seen as a global benchmark for oil and gas skills education with some of the biggest names in the industry already on board Under the terms of the alliance members are allowed to provide their own specialists to put forward their own ideas for the curriculum which currently includes training on reservoir engineering petrophysics petroleum business and health safety and the environment J Ford Brett managing director of PetroSkills explained ampquotPetroSkills structured approach to learning provides a roadmap for lifelong learning and helps assure an effective workforce for companies as well as marketability for individualsampquotAmong the oil and gas companies these three new members will be joining as part of the alliance are Halliburton ConocoPhillips Marathon Oil Repsol YPF and the University of Trinidad and Tobago Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/PetroSkills-alliance-welcomes-three-new-members-_18750205 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:14:00 GMT Women living in some of the most remote areas of the United Arab Emirates are being given the opportunity to learn about careers in the oil and gas industry as businesses look to develop the next generation of managers it has been reported Under a number of pilot projects being run by the Emirates Foundation in collaboration with several oil and gas exploration and production firms women are being given handson experience on industry sites alongside classroom training Notably in one of the schemes run by the Bridge to Success and Leadership Academy women are being tutored by specialists from the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations ADCO as well as from Dolphin Energy with funding from the British Council allowing the students to receive a training bursary According to Khuloud al Nuwais the projects director at the Emirates Foundation the initiative is aimed at tapping into the vast reservoir of talent within areas such as the Al Gharbia emirate with around 90 per cent of oil and gas jobs currently going to foreigners ampquotIntroducing young individuals from the western and northern regions to private sector opportunities will help enhance access to economic developmentampquot she added in an interview with The National Though there are quotas in place to ensure a certain number of jobs in each industry are given to locals unemployment within the UAE currently stands at 13 per cent Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/UAE-rolling-out-oil-training-initiatives-for-women-_18748181 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:10:00 GMT The oil and gas training provider PetroSkills is set to further its operations across the United States and beyond with the acquisition of PetrEX International it has been confirmed According to a statement released by the Oklahomabased firm the move will help it to meet the soaring demand for skilled oil and gas workers across the globe with the company already providing 1000 public and inhouse training sessions each year Commenting on the deal J Ford Brett managing director of PetroSkills as well as chief executive of parent company OGCI explained ampquotPetrEX products and services fit beautifully into the growing needs that we see in Well Construction and other disciplines within the PetroSkills alliance ampquotTheir balance of technical and interpersonal skills development with strong links between the office and the rig floor adds a critical dimension to PetroSkillsampquot he told Oil Voice The takeover comes as the Vancouver Sun has reported that a number of oil and gas companies in Canada are now taking their education schemes on the road in a bid to attract new workers and provide them with the skills necessary to work in the industry Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/PetroSkills-confirms-new-training-acquisition-_18748178 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:10:00 GMT Scotlands Wood Group has confirmed that it has reached an agreement to acquire the Australian oil and gas safety training firm Marine ampamp Offshore Group MampampO Presently MampampO is involved in training operations in a number of oil and gas industries including projects in Australia New Zealand Kazakhstan Nigeria and Singapore while it is also in the process of setting up initiatives in Egypt Libya and Tunisia As such this new deal represents a significant expansion for the Aberdeenbased Wood Group with some 200 MampampO staff to be transferred to its Engineering and Production Facilities division though the new acquisition will still operate under its own name According to Wood Group director MampampO boasts an excellent record of training oil and gas professionals across its nine international sites having generated revenues of around amp16348 million in the 12 months to the end of June ampquotWe see their services as complementary to and supportive of our international expansion plansampquot he added speaking to the Scotsman At the same time Wood Group has also confirmed that it is looking to fasttrack the construction of the proposed San Jacinto energy plant in Texas with operations expected to begin at some point in 2009 Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Aberdeens-Wood-Group-acquire-global-oil-training-firm-_18747730 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:21:00 GMT With demand for oil and gas training programmes continuing to increase across the world Morgan International and IASeminars have confirmed that they are to expand their course offerings within the next few months Presently the two firms operate in Dubai New Delhi and Warsaw with the number of courses on offer to oil and gas professionals now set to rise to 90 from the start of autumn Aimed at complementing technical skills the new courses will offer oil and gas professionals the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the industry outside of exploration and production specifically the financial aspects of the sector Explaining the move Morgan International chief executive Fadi Ganni explained to Trade Arabia ampquotWe are committed to providing more than just training By providing distinctive addedvalue through our services we guarantee the extra edge needed to move forward in the epoch of globalizationampquotEarlier this week in New Delhi the Indian Ministry of Petroleum called on oil companies to improve fuel consumption efficiency in order to address ongoing shortages Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Energy-industry-workers-to-benefit-from-new-finance-training_18743921 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:46:00 GMT Bahrains economic growth is set to continue for the foreseeable future thanks largely to ongoing increases in labour productivity and a commitment to producing a welleducated national workforce That is according to a new report from the international economic monitor the Conference Board Research carried out for the Growing Beyond Oil report found that Bahrain currently boasts the most diverse economy within the Gulf nations while capital has played a relatively minor role in the recent success with growth instead driven by investment in the national workforce Furthermore its liberal economic and social policies have made it an attractive option for international companies with oil and gas operators drawn to this as well as the countrys proximity to Saudi Arabia and other large oilproducing nations ampquotThese findings show the strides Bahrain has made in economic diversification education and labour market reformampquot noted Bahrain Economic Development Board chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa in an interview with the Gulf Times ampquotBahrain is proud of its record as a leading destination for business and finance and we will continue to forge a diverse vibrant economy fullyequipped for the demands of the global economy in the 21st centuryampquotOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Diversity-and-training-driving-Bahraini-economy--_18743907 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:46:00 GMT Acknowledging a shortage of skilled workers in the oil and gas sector Nigeria and the UK have signed an agreement to cooperate in the training of employees and future industry professionals According to a statement released on the back of Nigerian minister of state for energy Odein Ajumogobias meeting with UK energy minister Malcolm Wicks the two countries will work together through the International Energy Forum and OPEC to both build skills and to develop new technology aimed at improving energy efficiency Mr Wicks told Nigerias Punch newspaper ampquotI want to understand the energy challenges in Nigeria and see if Britain with its energy experience and expertise can help in any way we can to implement reformsampquotI feel that we have a lot to learn from one anotherampquotRecent unrest in the Niger Delta region has seen Nigeria lose its position as Africas largest oil producer to Angola the latest figures from OPEC reveal Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigeria-and-UK-agree-to-address-oil-skills-gap-_18743900 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:46:00 GMT Shells ongoing plan to promote indigenous involvement in its oil operations in Nigeria will enable the country to boost its output in the longrun the companys director there has stated Coming as he unveiled plans for the further development of the firms oil and gas plant at Rumukwurrushe Port Harcourt Mutiu Sunmonu the progress being made by subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company SPDC represents ampquota bold stepampquot that would ampquotallow for an eventual takeover of operationsampquot by Nigerian workers themselves Furthermore the appointment of Simbi Wabote as the new general manager of Shells Nigerian Content Development Unit ampquotrepresents a huge step towards the effort to make Nigerians the drivers of oil exploration and fabricationampquot he added according to Nigerias Financial Standard At the same time Mr Sunmonu reported that over the past few years the percentage of new applicants for the Shell Intensive Training Programme who come from the Niger Delta region has risen from just 20 per cent to its current level of 60 per cent highlighting the extent to which the longstanding dominance of foreign operators and workers is decliningOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Shell-making-bold-steps-to-indigenous-recruitment-in-Nigeria_18740724 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:11:00 GMT The government of the Pakistani province of Punjab have announced plans to spend some two billion rupees amp16314 million on offering vocational training course for up to 100000 youngsters To be rolled out as part of the Prime Ministers Special Initiative Programme the funding would place particular emphasis on developing the skills of youngsters looking to work in some of Pakistans leading industries including the oil and gas sector construction and light engineering According to National Vocational and Technical Education Commission NAVTEC regional director for Punjab Muhammad Abid Javed the initiative will be supported by the University of Punjab as well as the Punjab Vocational Training Council Just last week the Pakistan Petroleum Information Servive PPIS announced that oil and gas production within the country has increased by four per cent and 29 per cent respectively over the past financial year though declines have been seen in the exploration and production of liquefied petroleum gas http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Pakistans-Punjab-region-to-offer-industry-training-grants-_18737336 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:13:00 GMT The University of Malaysia at Sabah has opened a new academy aimed at providing specialised training for students looking to work within the countrys oil and gas industry The new institution comes on the back of an agreement made towards the end of last month between the universitys commercial arm UMS Link Holdings and the private oil and gas firm Silver Kris Named the Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah Oil and Gas Academy after the governor of the Sabah region and will offer course including a Level One Foundation Certificate in Oil and Gas Operation and Instrument Operation Technician training as well as three advanced diplomas Commenting on the initiative Silver Kris executive chairman Datuk Iskandar Datuk Malik noted ampquotThe setting up of this academy is very timely because of major oil discoveries off the coast of Sabah I believe with these new discoveries the requirement for manpower to support the industries will be enormousampquotIt was also announced that the University of Malaysia School of Engineering would offer support to the new training facility in the shape of providing lecturers and logistical support Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/University-of-Malaysia-launches-oil-and-gas-school-_18736445 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:12:00 GMT A charity in the northeast of England is set to invest millions of pounds over the next few years in providing training for students and workers looking to develop careers within the oil and gas industryUnder the plans put forward by Middlesbroughbased The TTE Technical Training Group a number of apprenticeships are to be offered to youngsters from the region with support to come from both businesses operating within the sector as well as the Learning and Skills CouncilThrough the new funding received from the industry the charity has also confirmed that it will be able to offer processspecific training at its new Wilton International Site while apprentices will also be encouraged to develop onsite skills and experienceTTE managing director Keith Hunter noted ampquotThis investment will particularly focus on the fastdeveloping and important oil and gas steel and process industriesampquotAll of which have significantly increased the number of apprentices they sponsor with us over the past year as we strive to supply a safe competent and welltrained workforce for the futureampquotPrior to gaining its independence and charity status in 1999 TTE operated as a joint venture between ICI and British Steel with the aim of producing a new generation of industrial professionals http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/TTE-announces-new-UK-oil-training-funding_18735831 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:05:00 GMT Employees of the Dubai Natural Gas Company DUGAS are to benefit from a new training initiative aimed at enabling them to approach plant processing tasks more analytically it has been announcedUnder the new range of programmes launched by training group TTE International workers in the sector will be taught effective troubleshooting and fault diagnosis techniques both at the Dubai Industrial Academy DIA as well as on siteThis latest initiative comes as TTE moves to form a close working partnership with the Dubai Industrial City with the aim of making the DIA the leading oil and gas training facility in the Gulf regionCommenting on the new programme Rashed Al Ansari vice president of Dubai Industrial City a member of Tatweer told Processing Talk ampquotWe are focused through the training programmes of our academy to increase the competence level of the operational staff and upgrade their working skills especially that they are working in a high risk gas industryampquotThis programme reflects our objective of supporting the industrial sector by upgrading and training technical professionals working in Dubai and across the regionampquotThe launch comes as work is due to begin on a new liquefied natural gas plant in the Jebel Ali region of Dubai http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/New-Dubai-gas-training-programme-launched_18733428 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:12:00 GMT The Texas AampampM University in Qatar TAMUQ has reached an agreement with Schlumberger aimed at bringing cuttingedge oil and gas training programmes to one of the worlds leading energy sectorsCurrently the university offers dozens of courses across nine technology areas related to the energy industry with this number set to be boosted to 210 through the incorporation of Schlumbergers Network of Excellence in Training NExT initiativeAccording to TAMUQ dean and chief executive Mark H Weichold the new partnership will be rolled out across the both the teaching and research facilities with the aim of improving the employment prospects of the next generation of oil and gas professionalsampquotOil and gas industry professionals will be able to receive training that updates or enhances their education so they can be as effective as possible in their jobsampquot he explained to the Gulf TimesampquotThis is a fantastic opportunity for Texas AampampM at Qatar to expand its outreach to the oil and gas industry and provide further service to Qatarampquot he addedSchlumberger also currently works alongside the University of Oklahoma and HeriotWatt University in Edinburgh through its NExT training and development programme http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Schlumberger-agrees-to-Qatar-university-oil-training-program_18732452 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:45:00 GMT Oil industry leaders in Aberdeen have called a new round of education cuts ampquotextremely worryingampquot arguing that the move could exacerbate the existing skills gap within the sector According to a new report from the citys Press and Journal newspaper more than 30 teachers have been released from Aberdeen secondary schools over the past few weeks as the local education authorities look to cut back on spending However oil and gas chiefs have warned that without basic science and engineering skills the next generation of workers in the sector may lack the necessary skills to push the UK offshore industry forward David Doig chief executive of oil and gas academy Opito told the newspaper ampquotIt is essential that young people have access to and are encouraged to take up key subjects such as science technology engineering and maths if the UK oil and gas industry is to meet the skills challenge of the futureampquotThe UK has a great tradition for producing worldclass scientists and engineers and we want to build on that to ensure we remain the global skills leader Any potential cuts to subject choices would be extremely worryingampquotJust last month a report from Oil ampamp Gas UK stated estimated that there is an estimated 25 million barrels of recoverable crude remaining in the North Sea Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Education-cuts-worrying-say-North-Sea-oil-chiefs-_18730625 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:14:00 GMT A new set of safety training standards is to be rolled out across the UKs offshore oil and gas industry it has been confirmed Coming soon after a number of concerns were raised about the basic safety competence levels of new workers on rigs in the UK Continental Shelf UKCS the industrys prominent training initiative Step Change in Safety has announced changes to its programmes To be introduced in two stages the new training modules will focus on risk assessment mechanical lifting platform integrity and making use of the industrys permit to work system Commenting on the initiative John Methven the cochairman of Step Change in Safety told the Scotsman ampquotCurrently basic safety training is carried out to different depths of understanding and covers varying safety elements ampquotEvery worker on the UKCS is required to complete basic offshore survival training However this does not include training on risk assessment process safety or platform integrityampquotThis represents the latest safety training move to be introduced as the UK oil industry marks 20 years since the Piper Alpha disaster Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Safety-training-programme-announced-for-UK-offshore-sector-_18730615 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:14:00 GMT The provincial Sindh Assembly has given the green light to two new resolutions aimed at promoting the employment of local residents in the oil and gas industry it has been announced Under the initiative which was unanimously approved by Dr Sikandar Mandhro and Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto of the ruling Pakistan Pakistan Peoples Party PPP new legislation will be put into place to address the failings of the 30 years since oil and gas instillations were established in the Sindh province These will include rolling out technical training for locals with the provincial minister for works and services stating that efforts will be made to ensure at least 50 per cent of jobs are kept within the region According to Pakistans Daily Times Dr Mandhros resolution read ampquotThis assembly resolves and recommends to the Government of the Sindh to approach the Federal government to direct all the oil and gas exploration and producing companies operating in the province to abide by all the clauses of the Petroleum Concession Agreement employing the local people and spending the amounts on socioeconomic welfare of local population as contemplated in the agreementsampquot Earlier this week Pakistani oil industry officials warned the countrys consumers that the price of crude is likely to soar again after a temporary respite Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Pakistani-ministers-call-for-more-oil-employment-in-Sindh-pr_18729618 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:18:00 GMT The engineering and technical services firm Furmanite has established a new West Africa operation aimed at assisting businesses working within the burgeoning oil and gas industry to improve efficiency levels Coming just weeks after the company announced the incorporation of Furmanite West Africa Limited it has been confirmed that USeducated and former operations director of Sulzer Pumps Nigeria Bulus Sambo will take up his position in Lagos and will be tasked with building good relations with private operators within the sector In particular a head office and training and services centre will be established in Lagos while a number of local technicians are currently being trained in the UK before being sent back to share their skills across the region Among the services to be offered by the Furmanite initiative will be hot tapping and line stopping composite repair and line pressure seal leaking all aimed at minimising downtime of both upstream and downsteam operations Commenting on the move Furmanite International managing director Paul Brown told Oil Voice ampquotOur decision to invest in the region with an ontheground presence enables us to offer our 75 years of experience to oil and gas operators in this region where there is high demand for our services to enable vital maintenance to be undertaken without shutdown avoid unplanned downtime and help keep scheduled outages to a minimum representing high valueampquot http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Furmanite-establishes-West-Africa-services-operation-_18727449 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:11:00 GMT Iraqs oil industry needs greater infrastructure investment including more training for key personnel a new report has stated Coming as new figures from the country show crude export levels to have fallen from 199 million barrels per day in May to 189 million barrels per day last month the Middle East expert for analysts Global Insight has argued that the Iraqi oil industry has been constrained by ampquotdecades of brain drainampquot Indeed between 2005 and 2006 record numbers of engineers and other petrochemical experts left the country ensuring that it lacked sufficient exposure to modern technology and production techniques Samuel Ciszuk explained ampquotSecurity has by and large continued to improve in Iraq during the past months meaning that the largest obstacles to further production rises are infrastructure constraints and the need for improvements in technologyampquot Dubais The Nation quoted the report as stating However he added that though technical services and training initiatives from international oil firms are ampquotdesperately neededampquot these are unlikely to materialise until the Iraqi government puts into place a comprehensive legal framework for oil and gas development through foreign investment Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Infrastructure-not-security-key-to-Iraq-oil-development_18722930 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:11:00 GMT Contractors working within the North Sea offshore oil industry have moved to veto plans aimed at increasing the amount of funding they contribute for the training of workers Coming soon after it was rued that offshore workers have to be covered by Working Time Regulations giving them the same legal minimum holiday pay as onshore contractors engineering firms have argued that they cannot afford to bear any further costs for the foreseeable future As such the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board looks set to veto the proposals put forward by its own chairman Terry Lazenby for the current levy imposed on companies for funding training initiatives to be doubled Contract Journal has learned Mr Lazenby had argued that this would be an effective means of coping with an estimated shortfall of skilled engineers in the offshore sector of 17000 by 2014 However the board looks likely to call for a freeze on levy rates which currently stand at 15 per cent of the payroll onsite and 018 per cent of the payroll offsite The comments come as Aberdeenbased Faroe Petroleum has announced that it has traded its stake in one North Sea oil block for an interest in two new licences in the Moray Firth off the coast of northeast Scotland Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/North-Sea-contractors-to-oppose-training-levy-boost_18719275 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:15:00 GMT The Dubai Natural Gas Company Dugas has confirmed that it has reached an agreement with the Dubai Industrial Academy DIA for the future specialist training of oil and gas sector employees Under the new joint initiative workers within the industry will be offered onsite training aimed at giving them a greater appreciation of the mechanisms of gas processing plants with a particular focus on fault diagnosis and troubleshooting Alongside this students will benefit from classroombased training with the DIA making use of plant manuals and technical drawings to illustrate a number of the higherrisk challenges facing gas industry operators Commenting on the initiative Rashed Al Ansari vicepresident of Dubai Industrial City amp150 of which the DIA is a division amp150 stated ampquotWe consider this an imperative necessity given the hazards that plant operators are exposed to in the industry ampquotThis programme also reflects our objective to support the industrial sector through enhancing the competencies of professionals working in Dubai and across the region and eventually creating a talent pool of technically qualified personnelampquotThe DIA currently runs more than 250 separate courses covering all aspects of the oil and gas industry including health and safety logistics and electrical engineeringOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Dubais-Dugas-agrees-training-programmes-with-DIA_18715372 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:11:00 GMT The ongoing need to train specialists for the burgeoning subsea oil and gas industry has been cited as the principal factor behind Scottish diving centres being fully booked for the foreseeable future That is according to a new report out of Scotland which has highlighted the case of the Fort Williambased Underwater Centre which has reported that it has trained a record 350 students over the past 12 months with this rate set to continue for the next few years at least In particular demand for the training of remotely operated vehicle ROV pilots is at an unprecedented high mirroring the direction the North Sea oil and gas industry is now taking Commenting on the trend the centres manager Steve Ham told the Press and Journal ampquotAccording to Subsea UKs recent study the subsea oil and gas sector has grown by a staggering 25 per cent each year in the last two years and the global market is now worth amp163125billion annually ampquotThe very favourable market conditions are a key factor in our growth however continued investment in new facilities technology and enhanced training particularly in the area of ROVs has bolstered our positionampquotThe comments come on the back of a new report from the government which points to a steady continuation of production in the North Sea with the 768 million tonnes of oil and gas achieved helped partly by new fields coming onstreamOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Subsea-oil-training-booming-in-Scotland-report-reveals-_18714512 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:12:00 GMT Ghanas emerging oil and gas industry is set to benefit from expert help from Trinidad and Tobago after the two countries agreed to the establishment of a joint Chamber of CommerceThe initiative comes on the back of Ghanaian president John Agyekum Kufuors visit to the capital of the islands PortofSpain where he met with his counterpart prime minister Patrick Manning to discuss ways to bring the industries of the two countries closer together Specifically Ghana is looking to replicate Trinidad and Tobagos world class petrochemical training facilities which have helped it to become the main oil exporter within the Caribbean region with around 80 per cent of total production levels shipped overseas allowing for a per capital income in excess of 18000 In addition Mr Kufuor also called on Ghanaian expatriates in Trinidad and Tobago to support their native country and to share in the visions and principles of the African UnionampquotWe must hold firmly together in our drive into the global villageampquot he told the diaspora community Presently the oil and gas sector is responsible for 40 per cent of Trinidad and Tobagos gross domestic product Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Ghana-and-Trinidad-and-Tobago-to-share-oil-and-gas-expertise_18714379 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:11:00 GMT Plans for a new training academy aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled port workers serving the oil and gas industry in Nigerias Delta State have been unveiled by local officials Coming soon after the government of the African state gave the goahead to plans to construct an oil and gas servicing terminal in the town of Warri state governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has explained that the new academy will play a crucial role in addressing the ongoing manpower needs of the sector As an example he revealed that shipping pilots working for the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA will be trained so as to enable them to work within the Delta region which has become the focus of the countrys oil production and exporting efforts over recent years ampquotWe would like to establish an atmosphere whereby the pilotage system that operates in the real Excravos channel is a formal oneampquot added Mallam Adbul Salam Mohammed managing director of the NPA ampquotWe intend to partner with various communities in achieving the formalisation of this system of Pilotage districtampquotAt the same time Shell Nigeria has announced its intentions to reduce exports from the country as a result of local unrest Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Training-academy-planned-for-Nigerian-Delta-region-_18710437 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:22:00 GMT Oil companies may struggle to develop complex new fields in deep water sites due to a shortage of skilled engineers the chief executive of Schlumberger has warned Coming as industry observers expect offshore deep water drilling rates to double within the next five years Andrew Gould who is also the chairman of the worlds largest oil services company warned that many future projects could be hit by delays as a result of the industry failing to invest in the recruitment and training of key workers over the past few years ampquotThe only kit that is really really difficult to get is the human kitampquot he told the Financial Times According to Mr Gould his own company is currently in the process of developing around 18000 workers it recruited between 2004 and 2007 with this next generation of engineers due to be trained in around half the time of their predecessors as the firm looks to fill offshore vacancies quickly so as to stave off fierce competition from countries with access to easier fields such as Russia and Venezuela It is estimated that with oil currently selling for around 130 a barrel delays of just one hour can cost an offshore company as much as 50000 Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Oil-industry-hit-by-engineer-shortage-Schlumberger-chief-war_18709864 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:09:00 GMT Growing numbers of Canadian students are dropping out of school and college to gain employment in the countrys booming oil industry meeting shortterm demands but potentially leading to a longterm shortage of skilled professionals official new figures show According to data on public education enrolment released by Statcan just 679 per cent of youngsters in the oilrich province of Alberta now graduate from high school the lowest proportion in the whole of the country This represents a four per cent increase in dropout rates since 1999 and is broadly in line with the growth of oil and gas sector with industry experts explaining to the countrys Globe and Mail that the current trend is similar to the former pattern of people dropping out of education to work in the East Coast fishing industry Commenting on the figures Kathy Telfer a spokeswoman for Alberta Education warned that more needs to be done to ensure that new workers in all sectors have the appropriate training so as to benefit the national economy in the longrun Earlier this month PetroCanadas chief executive Ron Brenneman blamed poorquality work from Albertas ampquotoverstretchedampquot engineering industry for the current delays and cost overruns of its 25 billion Edmonton Refinery worksOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Booming-Canadian-oil-sector-behind-low-graduation-rates-_18709443 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:20:00 GMT Kurdistans regional government has given the green light to plans for a massive Gas City aimed at training thousands of oil and gas industry professionals and boosting the economy of the region The companies behind the development privatelyowned Dana Gas and its partner Crescent Petroleum only recently unveiled their plans for the site which will be the first of several such initiatives to be constructed within the Middle East South Asia and North Africa In addition to up to 20 separate petrochemical and heavy manufacturing plants the 3 billion Kurdistan Gas City will be home to stateoftheart oil training facilities and projects aimed at helping smallscale businesses in the region Nechirvan Barzani prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government noted ampquotDana Gas and Crescent Petroleum have made a significant contribution to the Iraqi economy through their work in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq thus far and the new Kurdistan Gas City will be an extension of the considerable and commendable achievements to date ampquotWe highly appreciate their dedication towards our region and welcome their efforts to support the Iraqi people and the Iraqi economyampquot The ceremony to mark the commencement of work on the site has been scheduled for September 21st with international oil industry leaders due to attend alongside Iraqi government officials Global Education and Training event for Oil and Gas Refining ampamp Petrochemicals http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Dana-Gas-training-city-given-goahead-by-Kurdistan-government_18706603 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:13:00 GMT The Canadian government has announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at providing training and development for aboriginal people working within the countrys oil and gas sector Under the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership ASEP the central government is to provide as much as 21 million for the training of hundreds of workers within the Nova Scotia region with a particular emphasis to be placed upon resourcebased sectors as well as the construction and transportation industries This latest move comes after the Canadian government invested 105 million in the ASEP programme in 2007 alone with the training initiative having helped 16000 people and created around 10000 jobs in all sectors thus far Commenting on the initiative Lynne Yelich parliamentary secretary to Canadas minister of human resources and social development Monte Solberg said ampquotThe Government of Canada is taking steps to create the best educated most skilled and most flexible work force in the worldampquotThis project will offer Aboriginal people the skills they need to find and keep good quality jobs help industry facing labour shortages and strengthen the local economyampquotOil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Canadian-government-launches-native-oil-training-plan-_18705595 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:10:00 GMT Colleges and universities across the United States are turning their attention to training their students in skills related to the burgeoning oil and gas industry As an example while the University of Santa Cruz offers graduate and undergraduate petroleum engineering courses and the University of California likewise has a graduate petrochemical engineering programme energy companies across the state are now targeting younger students as they look to meet rising demand for trained professionals and address the current skills gap Commenting on the advantages offered to the industry by initiatives such as Taft Colleges new twoyear occupational programme Holmes Western Oil Corp president Fred Holmes explained ampquotIt just saves us from training The college would probably do a better job at itampquotSpecifically such initiatives are focusing on preparing young students for a technical job between an engineer and an entrylevel onsite position one of the areas suffering from the greatest shortage of workers across the whole of the US Despite the current shortage of skilled workers over the past week the number of rigs actively looking for oil and gas within the US grew by 29 to 1957 a new report from Houstonbased Baker Hughes has revealed Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/US-colleges-look-to-address-oil-skills-shortage-_18704916 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:10:00 GMT Kazakhstans oil and gas industry boasts a greater potential than that of the Middle East to multinational companies the countrys ambassador to the UK has claimed Speaking on the back of his first visit to Aberdeen where he addressed the Scottish Kazakh Trade Desk SKTD Kairat Abusseitov noted that while the UK is currently the secondlargest foreign investor in the Central Asian state working relationships between the two countries can be built upon further ampquotWe are particularly keen that people realise our new financial centre in Almaty the countrys former capital offers many opportunities and that our improved fiscal regulatory regime can stand alongside that of the UK or the USampquot he told the Sunday Herald The comments come as growing numbers of Scottish oil and gas companies are heading to Kazakhstan with most focusing their attention on Atyrau in the west of the country with some estimates putting the proportion of new arrivals to the city now currently coming from Scotland at around 98 per cent ampquotWithin Scotland especially in the northeast there is a much greater awareness of Kazakhstan nowampquot John Duncan director of Aberdeenbased Elearning provider New Leaders told the newspaper ampquotI know of at least half a dozen companies actively looking at ventures and not just in the oil and gas sector but also in education and trainingampquotGlobal Education and Training event for Oil and Gas Refining ampamp Petrochemicals http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Kazakhstan-ambassador-calls-for-better-links-with-UK_18704185 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Iranian oil minister Gholam Hossein Nozari has confirmed that a significant oil discovery has been made in the south of the country Speaking at a press conference in the capital Tehran the minister revealed that the new field located close to the city of Arvand in the province of Khuzestan could hold reserves of up to 500 million barrels of oil This comes just days after it was announced that a new oil field with reserves of 525 million barrels has been made close to the southern port city of Assaluyeh taking the potential of the discoveries made over the course of July alone past 15 billion barrels Furthermore Mr Nozari noted ampquotA few other oil fields have also been discovered about which the public will be informed in the coming weeksampquotEarlier this year the Iranian government revealed that it has total oil reserves of some 136 billion barrels of oil making it the second largest producer in the Opec coalition In addition the head of the staterun National Iranian Oil Company NIOC stated in May that production levels are likely to be increased as it concentrates on developing smaller fields across the country 5th Global Education ampamp Training event for Oil and Gas Exploration ampamp Production http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Iranian-oil-minister-confirms-new-Khuzestan-discovery-_18701142 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:11:00 GMT A move away from traditional classroom courses and towards electronic alternatives has been cited as a major factor behind the growing success of training schemes targeting offshore oil and gas industries in the North Sea According to the Norfolkbased training company Oilennium the move towards eresources is being driven largely by the demand from oil and gas production companies keen to ensure that new employees are fully trained prior to starting work on site while students themselves are embracing learning on the go made possible by lessons available to download on mobile phones and laptop computers ampquotA client asked us two years ago if we could provide elearning and at that time we said no But then after a year of development and testing it started to develop rapidlyampquot the firms founder former oil industry professional Kevin Keable told the Eastern Daily Press ampquotIn the space of a year it has gone from two people to 12 people and we need more I could take on two or three more people and still not have enoughampquot Earlier this month the managing director of the offshore operator Aquaterra called for the University of East Anglia to introduce courses aimed at enabling new graduates with skills appropriate to the North Sea energy industry 5th Global Education ampamp Training event for Oil and Gas Exploration ampamp Production http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Elearning-driving-North-Sea-oil-industry-training-_18699501 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:24:00 GMT The managing director of Nigerias Success Empowerment Limited has revealed that his company is to concentrate on oil and gas training and developing the next generation professionals within the countrys Niger Delta region Speaking at the graduation ceremony for the first students on its Niger Delta Skills Acquisition programme in the coastal city of Port Harcourt Dr Joel Emenike explained that ensuring that the sons and daughters of current oil and gas employees have industryrelevant skills is key to the regions longterm prosperity In particular individuals are to be encouraged to seek employment within private enterprises rather than through governmentrun schemes while Dr Emenike also hinted that his organisation may launch an initiative in partnership with the Nigerian Entrepreneurship Development Foundation EED aimed at combating high unemployment levels in the Niger Delta Over the past few months security problems in the Niger Delta region have led to Nigeria being overtaken by Angola as Africas biggest oil producer Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-training-firm-to-target-Niger-Delta-region-_18697531 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:07:00 GMT A group of sixteen employees from China Petroleum and Chemical Corp Sinopec have become the first graduates of the Certified Safety and Health Official CSHO programme run by the Texas Engineering Extension Service TEEXWith China looking to develop the skills of its national oil and gas workforce as it continues to expand its industrial operations the company has sent hundreds of professionals overseas including to the United States to benefit from such training programmesUnder this latest initiative the 16 workers signed up to the programme in April since when they have completed more than 300 hours of safetyspecific training at the institutes utilities and public board training school as well as its emergency services training facilitiesCommenting on the accomplishment project manager Brad Novotny said ampquotSinopec is already in talks about sending a second group of 22 managers in October to continue in the CSHO program and with the joint cooperation and deliveries of the three divisions TEEX is looking at the potential expansion of training beyond the CSHOampquotThe news comes as Sinopec has warned of a likely profit fall of 50 per cent in comparison to last year citing government controls which limit its abilities to pass on the soaring cost of crude oil onto its customers http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Sinopec-employees-graduate-from-US-training-programme_18694360 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:17:00 GMT The prime minister of Vietnam has granted his approval in principle to plans to construct the countrys first oil and gas university it has been confirmedUnder the proposals the Ministry of Education will work to set up the institution in the Hoa Binh province in the mountainous north of VietnamHowever the project will be fully funded by PetroVietnam with the stateowned oil and gas company to also work alongside education officials in developing a curriculum designed to help develop the next generation of professionals for the sectorIt is expected that a number of different courses will be offered to students all aimed at addressing the current professional shortfalls being seen in the national oil and gas sectors while the Ministry is also considering providing annual scholarships to allow talented students from other Vietnamese colleges and universities to attend the Hoa Binh institutionPrior to work commencing the Ministry of Education is to carry out a feasibility study into the project the prime minister has ruled with this likely to be submitted in the next yearAt the same time PetroVietnam along with the Thai industrial group Siam Cement has been licensed to build a new 377 billion petrochemical complex just east of Ho Chi Minh City with operations expected to begin in 2013 http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/PetroVietnam-to-develop-oil-and-gas-university_18693288 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:13:00 GMT In spite of the significant progress made so far more needs to be done to encourage the development of managerial professionals to supervise the growth of the oil industry in the Western Region of the United Arab Emirates it has been argued At a forum of Western Region Municipality WRM managers held this week general manager H E Hamoud Humaid Al Mansouri pointed to the achievements which have already been made in developing industry professionals over the past few years Specifically the organisation has taken on 130 local professionals through a recent recruitment drive while a centralised IT infrastructure is also beginning to pay dividends by allowing for more efficient communications and knowledge sharing between workers in the oil and gas industry Mr Al Mansouri stated ampquotThe strategic importance of the Western Region and its contribution as an economic driver to the prosperity growth and development of the United Arab Emirates is enormous ampquotAs the Western Region Municipality grows we would like to ensure our senior level managers are equipped with the appropriate tools resources and support for delivering efficient serviceampquotAccording to BPs 2008 Statistical Review of World Energy oil reserves in the UAE currently stand at 978 billion barrels sufficient to maintain the current production level for a further 92 years http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/UAEs-Western-Region-Municipality-to-focus-on-senior-manageme_18692121 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:10:00 GMT Australias federal resources minister has told a national oil and gas conference that not enough progress has been made on employing indigenous workers in the industrial sector Speaking at the Darwin event Martin Ferguson argued that with the indigenous population growing at a faster rate than the nonindigenous population in the north of the country and with demand for oil and gas professionals steadily rising employers need to make a greater effort to shift their recruitment policies He explained that more investment should be made in training indigenous workers with oil and gas industryspecific skills largely as they represent ampquota local source of labourampquot ampquotIn doing so we can also jointly contribute to removing social disadvantage in Australia getting jobs education social participation right and therefore overcoming one of Australias social blightsampquot he added The 2008 South East Asia Australia Offshore Conference was also warned that at current production rates the nations oil resources may last little more than a decade thereby making supply security a ampquotmajor concernampquot for the government and industries http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Australian-minister-calls-for-more-indigenous-oil-workers--_18691012 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:42:00 GMT Nigerias Petroleum Technology Development Fund PTDF has announced further changes to its funding of students developing oil and gas industryrelated skills overseas Under the new initiative the PTDF will no longer maintain the doctorate degree component of its Overseas Scholarship Scheme with a University Lecturers Enhancement Programme to take its place According to the bodys executive secretary Alhaji Kabir Abdulfatah Mohammed the move comes as the PTDF looks to gain maximum benefits from its funding arguing that the advantages to the industry of the old training scheme were not justifying the high cost ampquotThe discontinuance of the doctorate degree component of the scholarship scheme of the fund became necessary after a review of the entire scholarship programme of the fund revealed that the PhD category of scholars are no longer required by the oil and gas industry in Nigeriaampquot he told the countrys Punch newspaper Under the new programme which will work alongside the recentlylaunched Local Scholarship Scheme more funding will be given to six universities across Nigeria so as to allow them to offer worldclass training aimed at benefiting the national oil and gas industry in the longrun http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-PTDF-adapts-oil-and-gas-student-funding-scheme-_18689621 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:31:00 GMT The chief executive of Malaysias national oil company Petronas has hit out at the practice of Middle Eastern corporations poaching trained workers from the country Speaking at a press conference where he reported on the companys performance over the past year Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican argued that the practice of multinational firms signing up skilled workers is not merely restricted to Malaysia but rather is a problem currently facing large parts of the Eastern AsiaHe added that while Petronas reached an agreement five years ago with Western and multinational companies that they would not poach native workers over recent years this mutual respect has not been observed by some Middle Eastern firms ampquotWe have said before that Middle Eastern companies need to invest in training their own people and stop poaching trained people from other companiesampquot he concluded Presently around 82 per cent of Petronass 30000 employees are Malaysian nationals working in both upstream and downstream projects across 30 countries Mr Hassan also reported that should demand within Malaysia continue to grow at six per cent a year the country is likely to become a net importer of oil by 2011 http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Petronas-chief-Middle-East-oil-firms-need-to-invest-in-train_18688977 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:12:00 GMT The head of the Ghanaian production firm Amaja Oilfield Services has made the first move towards establishing a new oil and gas technical training facility in the western region of the African country Afrikanus Mensah who is a member of the Essikado royal family in addition to an experienced petroleum engineer announced the initiative at the Western Regional House of Chiefs in Sekondi this week handing over a cheque for 10000 to allow work to begin In addition he pledged a further 5000 to help fund the education of the Ghanaian youth in the region with particular focus on developing skills which can be used in the oil and gas sector Prior to his position as CEO of Amaja Mr Mensah worked as an engineer in the oil industries of Nigeria Brazil Colombia the UK and France The news comes just days after the UK oil and gas exploration firm Tullow Oil confirmed that it has successfully completed a second flow test at its Jubilee field located off the coast of Ghana A flow rate of around 4500 barrels of oil a day and more than five million cubic feet of natural gas was recorded it was confirmed http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Amaja-Oil-chief-to-fund-western-Ghana-training-initiative-_18684672 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:15:00 GMT Dubais national human resource development and employment authority Tanmia has this week reached a memorandum of understanding with the countrys Ministry of Economy and the Dubai Industrial Academy DIA aimed at providing specialist training for native professionals working within the industrial sector Coming on the back of a seminar hosted by the three organisations entitled Challenges and Objectives in the Industrial Sector the decision was made to cooperate more closely in ensuring that more jobs within the booming oil and gas sector go to Dubai nationals Under the agreement which was signed by Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer chairman of Tanmia along with the countrys minister for the economy Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori and the vicepresident of Dubai Industrial City Rashed Al Ansair the private sectors will work in partnership with the state to promote emiratisation Notably Tanmia will provide the government ministries with access to its database of qualified candidates while the DIA will develop and provide tailored training programmes for jobseekers Mr Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer concluded ampquotOur common emiratisation goals will help us work together and achieve our target of providing suitable employment to hundreds of Nationals in the UAEs booming industrial sectorampquot http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Dubai-industrial-ministries-to-cooperate-in-training-program_18680675 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:06:00 GMT Nigerias Industrial Training Fund ITF has announced plans to open a new Oil and Gas Industrial Skills Training Centre in the Niger Delta region of the country Speaking at a press conference in the city of Abuja ITF director general Professor Longmas Wapmuk explained that the proposed centre would go a long way to addressing the current problem of a lack of skilled local workers within the industry He asked the central government to increase funds to the organisation citing the successes already seen at the Industrial Skills Training Centres in the capital Lagos as well as in Jos and Lokoja where as well as helping to train the next generation of oil professionals they have also been seen as a solution to the problem of growing violence caused by youth disaffection Professor Wampuk argued that in Nigeria the development of the oil and gas sector ampquothas been hampered and stifled by the absence of the requisite capacity required in the running of any enterpriseampquot In 2007 alone the ITF attracted 6700 students and professionals from more than 1400 organisations not merely restricted to businesses operating in the oil and gas industry http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-oil-and-gas-training-school-mooted-_18677906 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:05:00 GMT The offshore energy consultancy Petrotec has started talks with Mexicos staterun oil company Pemex regarding the possible construction of a new amp16325 million training centre in the Latin American country The proposed educational facility would work to train Pemex employees working in the countrys booming offshore oil industry with a focus on health and safety and dealing with major onsite emergenciesThough the plans are still in their early stages it has already been confirmed that Petrotec is looking into establishing a partnership with a Mexican university with several of its East Angliabased specialists having recently embarked on a factfinding mission across the Atlantic Karl ReederFarrow founder of Petrotec ampquotWeve worked as consultants with Pemex on a number of assignments and projects in new field development ampquotWhat were looking at the moment is the prospect of setting up a UKrun training centre in Mexico to train personnel in a number of elements such as offshore survival training operations and platform training simulation of major emergency management it would be quite complex training centre and the first of its kind in MexicoampquotMexico is currently the worlds sixthlargest producer of crude oil while according to Petrotec UK companies have established themselves as worldleaders in the training of oil workers since the Piper Alpha disaster 20 years ago http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Petrotec-plans-25m-Mexican-oil-training-facility-_18676456 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:01:00 GMT Operators and contractors working within the UK offshore oil sector have reached an agreement regarding the sharing of best practice and the development of new educational tools for workers Under the new arrangement the Oil ampamp Gas Academy OPITO will work alongside the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board ECITB and the Offshore Contractors Association According to the chief executive of ECITB David Edwards the initiative comes as the industry looks to address the shortage of skilled workers in a variety of areas in the sector while ensuring that none of the organisations involved wastes effort and money on duplicating training projects another has already carried out OPITO added in a statement ampquotAs well as allowing for improved quality and transferability of the skills pool leading to increased safety and overall business performance the new alliance will also provide a combined menu of skills and training solutions for operators and contractorsampquotPresently the UK government is working to reduce the countrys dependence on oil by seven per cent by 2020 in line with European Union renewable energy targets http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/UK-offshore-operators-agree-to-best-practice-sharing-_18675566 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:09:00 GMT Turkmenistans president Gurbanuly Berdimuhamedov has confirmed that a branch of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas will open in Ashgabat at the start of the next academic year Mr Berdimuhamedov made the announcement after meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitriy Medvedev in a summit held between the two nations in the capital aimed at improving relations and furthering both economies The new educational facility which will open on September 1st will provide training for Turkmen students in all areas of the oil and gas industry both in the classroom and onsite According to Mr Medvedev the move will boost the national industries of both countries allowing for the development of domestic workers and reducing the reliance on foreign specialists At the same time the summit saw the two presidents agree to a memorandum of understanding with greater cooperation between the countries in the areas of education international relations and humanitarian issues ampquotWe have achieved a major progress in this areaampquot Mr Medvedev said of the latter Also this week Turkmenistan proposed that a consortium of firms from South Korea explore three areas of the Caspian Sea for new oil resources http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Russian-oil-university-to-open-in-Ashgabat-_18673670 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:06:00 GMT Oil companies working in Nigeria will be required to employ at least 40 per cent of the annual beneficiaries of the Overseas Scholarship Scheme OSS under new legislation due to take effect within the coming weeks Established by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund in 2002 the OSS provides grants for Nigerian nationals to study for oil sectorrelated masters and doctorate degree programmes in ten UK universities Though the intention of such an initiative has always been to boost the expertise within the domestic petroleum industry to date businesses have not been required to take on graduates with many preferring to turn to foreign professionals to fill their positions Alhalji Kabir Mohammed executive secretary of the PTDF explained that new rules aimed at enforcing the employment of scheme graduates are likely to take effect in the near future as the industry continues to move forward ampquotWe made a presentation to the OGIC main committee as well as the subcommittee on the issue and they accepted itampquot he told Nigerian magazine Punch ampquotSo it will be in their report and we will recommend that government should make it a matter of policy and eventually a legislation that a certain percentage of Nigerians sponsored by PTDF must be employed in a year by the oil companiesampquotTo date the fund has spent a total of amp163131 million on the education and training of 596 MSc students and 86 PhD students http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-firms-to-be-required-to-take-on-foreigntrained-grad_18672444 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:10:00 GMT Nigerias oil and gas industry is still the most popular career field for job seekers in the country though a lack of adequately skilled workers mean that many positions are filled by overseas applicants studies show New research in the sector has found that it continues to boast the highest average wages beating the burgeoning telecommunications and banking industries with this leading to a surge in competition for jobs both on the engineering and service sideHowever while there are estimated to be around 15000 vacant oil and gas industry positions in the African country at present many of these will end up being filled by overseas employees of multinational companies due to a relative lack of training available for Nigerian nationals though this situation is currently being redressed Dr Chudi Egbunike ampquotIn the oil and gas industry certification and international trainings for specialisation are required since most of the openings or vacancies in the oil and gas or even its service sector are specialised and require professional exposure and trainings that are unavailable in the countryampquotThe implication of these deficiencies in knowledge training and exposure is that ordinary nongraduates foreigners including technicians from far away places like India China the Philippines Lebanon and the likes have taken over these positions and they are then referred to as expatriatesampquot http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-oil-and-gas-industry-most-popular-with-job-seekers-_18671939 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:09:00 GMT The head of Brazils staterun oil company Petrobras has stated that a lack of skilled labour continues to be a ampquotbig challenge for the countryampquotComing as president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has predicted a sustained period of growth for the South American nation with gross domestic product set to grow by five per cent a year between now and 2010 Jose Sergio Gabrielli pointed to a widespread lack of civil and construction engineers affecting the prospects of the oil and gas industry in addition to sectors such as manufacturing and even bankingampquotThe lack of availability of technical ability may be a constraint on growth no doubt about itampquot he told the New York Times this weekThe comments come on the back of a study carried out last year by Brazils National Confederation of Industry which found that more than half of the companies questioned said that they couldnt find the skilled workers they neededampquotSome of our big clients in the oil and gas sector have 40 to 50 job openings and they canamp146t fill themampquot added Paulo Pontes managing director of headhunting firm Michael Page InternationalThe report added that such a situation is leading many companies ampquotinto the educational businessampquot with some offering onthejob training as well as investing in schools and colleges for the longterm future http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Lack-of-skilled-workers-hurting-Brazil-Petrobras-chief-claim_18666459 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:27:00 GMT University students in Abu Dhabi are to be better prepared for future employment within the oil and gas industry with the launch of a special education programme this summer Named Maabar Al Najaah which translates as Bridge to Success the new initiative has been developed by the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations ADCO in partnership with the British Council and Dolphin Energy as a means to addressing the skills shortage brought about by a burgeoning energy sector The initiative which is the first of five planned Tawteen Oil and Gas Summer Programmes will teach students industryspecific workplace skills both within the classroom and onsite with 23 women to be included in this summers programme Commenting on the launch an ADCO spokesperson said ampquot ADCO looks forward to benefit from this programme as students will be more aware and better equipped with skills that are essential for the energy industry Such programmes will help close the gap between the demand for energy industry skills and the attraction of students to the energy sectorampquotThe course is to be specifically targeted at students currently in their foundation year at university thereby allowing them the time to determine which area of the oil and gas sector they wish to specialise in http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Abu-Dhabi-oil-training-programme-launched-_18658511 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:08:00 GMT GE Oil and Gass new Qatar Service Centre has officially been opened by the countrys minister of energy and industry as the company looks to improve employment levels among the local workforce The new centre which is located within the Ras Laffan Support Services Zone is expected to employ around 40 specialist workers at its peak and is equipped with advanced centrifugal and processing plant equipment While work such as compressor and turbine inspections engine overhauls and transition piece repairs will be carried out at the centre much of the focus will be on improving GE Oils standing within the oilproducing state and rolling out new job opportunities for Qatari nationals Speaking at the opening ceremony Nabil Habayeb president of GE Middle East and Africa stated ampquotThe opening of the new service center here in Ras Laffan further strengthens our position as a global company committed to Qatar and the region ampquotWe are delighted to be part of Qatars long term growth plans and are pleased to be building solid relationships creating additional localized support for all our clients in the regionampquotThe new facility also aims to maximise local procurement within Qatar particularly in the rapidly expanding refinery industry in the Ras Laffan region http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/GE-Oil-opens-Qatar-training-and-development-centre-_18656517 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:12:00 GMT The AngloIrish oil exploration company Tullow Oil has announced that it is to set up a number of educational initiatives in the areas surrounding its ongoing operations in the west of Uganda At present illiteracy levels in the Buliisa district of the African country are estimated to stand at around 63 per cent with just 143 schools established when observers believe that around 270 are needed to provide adequate levels of educationAs such under the new initiative Tullow will work with the local educational authorities to establish several new schools as well as to roll out a widespread educational programme aimed at tackling the continued use of unsanitary water for example through cooperation with fishing communities The company also intends to set up sporting programmes for the Ugandan youth Commenting on the initiative Tullow Oils general manager Brian Glover noted ampquotWe have a number of corporate social responsibility projects that we intend to implement in the communities we operate inTullow just recently announced that it had discovered new oil and gas reserves in the Ngege1 exploration well in Block 2 in Uganda with drilling expected to start at the end of the month http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Tullow-announces-Ugandan-education-programme-_18655104 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:15:00 GMT New Zealands government has been urged to give the goahead to plans for a multimillion dollar oil and gas training school in order to address shortage of workers facing businesses operating in the Taranaki region Already talks have taken place between the department of labour the Tertiary Education Committee and a number of private enterprises including Origin Energy and Shell Todd However Taranakis business development manager Jed Rowlands has called for more to be done to ensure that there are sufficient skilled workers to fill the oil and gas sector which is expected to employ more than 3000 people by 2026 in comparison to the current 800 In particular he has pointed to the success of the Australian Centre for Energy Process Training in Perth with the Witt university campus wellsuited for this purpose ampquotIt will be fantastic to have something like that in Taranaki theres nowhere else you can do that in New Zealandampquot he told the Taranaki Daily News It is expected that the New Zealand government will draw up an action plan to address the oil and gas skills shortage in August http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/NZ-oil-industry-calls-for-training-school--_18653548 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:48:00 GMT Higher levels of native employee retention are crucial to ensuring Qatars oil and gas industry retains a competitive edge recruitment and development experts in the country have argued At a recent forum held in the Emirate and organised by a local recruitment website delegates were told that customised training and development programmes within all sectors are essential for optimising local participation levels However at present a lack of job satisfaction and intraindustry training and development opportunities are putting this in jeopardy with last months YouGovSiraj Consumer Confidence Index revealing that just 23 per cent of those questioned are satisfied with their current career prospects while 43 per cent are largely ambivalent The forum noted ampquotThe supply of welleducated and welltrained Qatari nationals is widely acknowledged to be insufficient to meet the demand which is contributing to certain types of job vacancies not being filled while the preferences of the national workforce in terms of hours and working practices is often not being met in the types of vacancies available in the private sectorampquot It was also concluded that more focus needs to be put on training and developing students and new graduates including by giving them access to established professionals and retirees from the oil and gas industry to serve as mentors http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/More-development-needed-for-Qatari-professionals-_18653542 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:48:00 GMT Nigerias oil and gas industry is being bolstered by a new initiative aimed at training native construction professionals Organised by the Southern African Institute of Welding SAIW and the Nigerian Institute of Welding NIW the training programme comes on the back of a recent directive from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC which stated that oil companies working in the country are to use locallyproduced equipment in the exploration processing and transportation processes More specifically the certification of welding procedures and welders themselves need to be carried out in Nigeria the directive stated Commenting on the programme NIW president Solomon Edebiri told South Africas Engineering News ampquotThe first step was with the help of the SAIW to conduct an eightweek assessment and training of 80 of these welders so that they could be certified to internationally accredited ISO 9606 standards Nigerian instructors will also be trainedampquotHe added that the NNPC which is the sixthlargest oil producer in the world already has a strong pool of skilled construction workers many of whom come from Nigeria or neighbouring South Africa though this latest move marks a step closer to the development of a panSubSaharan professional body for the sector http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-oil-engineering-scheme-launched-_18647681 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:11:00 GMT With Houstons oil industry currently suffering from a shortage of skilled design and engineering graduates the plant and marine design company AVEVA has announced a new educational grant to Texas Southern Universitys College of Science and Technology Due to start later this year the initiative will see the institution benefit from the companys PDS software allowing students to develop 3Ddesign skills while working alongside oil industry and IT professionals Commenting on the grant Rob Glasier head of AVEVA Americas said ampquotBuoyancy in the oil market is driving increased demand for new and refurbished drilling production and refining facilities worldwideampquotThis business boom has caused a scarcity of qualified skilled designers and drafts people We are very pleased to be a technology partner to a growing list of Houstonarea technical schools colleges and universitiesampquotAlready AVEVA has established a Global Academy aimed at addressing the skills shortage within the engineering industry and particularly the oil and gas sector http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/New-training-grant-for-Houston-oil-industry-_18645233 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:17:00 GMT Azerbaijans national oil company has confirmed that it is well on the way to improving the working conditions of thousands of its workers with work starting on another new apartment block in the capital city Baku At a ceremony awarding new living accommodation to workers Rovnag Abdullayev president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic SOCAR revealed that it is looking to expand its recentlyconstructed Oil Workers Settlement as part of the companys social responsibility programme for 2005 to 2015 Notably improved accommodation will be provided for the thousands of Azerbaijani professionals employed at the Heydar Aliyev Baku refinery Mr Abdullayev told the ceremony ampquotSix buildings have been already commissioned and construction of the seventh one is under way ampquotThe obvious example is the newlyerected Oil Workers Settlement in Baku city Nizami districtampquotEarlier this month SOCAR revealed that it is looking to international lenders for an extra amp16315 billion in funding so as to invest in a number of new oil and gas refineries within Azerbaijan http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Azerbaijani-oil-worker-housing-rolled-out-_18644237 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:14:00 GMT Energy giant BP has recognised the achievements of smalltomedium sized oil and gas companies operating in Azerbaijan with its third annual Best of Business awards Coming just days before the company is due to launch its multimillion pound Enterprise Development and Training Programme in the Asian country it confirmed that this years awards had attracted a record number of participating firms Among those recognised in the Baku ceremony were Metal Gaynag Sinag which was named Company of the Year due to its strong economic performance over the past 12 months while Dalgidj was named Best Performer in Health Safety and Environment as well as the Employer of the Year Enterprises and entrepreneurs were also feted for their contributions to local economies within Azerbaijan in addition to their contribution to their communitiesSpeaking at the ceremony Bill Schrader President of BP in Azerbaijan stated ampquotBP remains committed to working with an increasing number of local and international companies who share the similar goal of creating a healthy and vibrant enterprise culture in AzerbaijanampquotBP also operates a Regional Development Initiative and its Community Investment Programmes which include education scholarships in the country http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/BP-recognises-Azerbaijani-development-_18641945 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:18:00 GMT Vietnams national oil and gas group PetroVietnam has announced the launch of a new subsidiary company aimed at training thousands of workers for the countrys first oil refinery At present the Southeast Asian state boasts just one oil refinery the Dung Quat plant located in the Binh Son District though an additional two are planned for the Thanh Hoa and Ba RiaVung Tau Provinces over the coming years Speaking at the inauguration ceremony for the new enterprise the Binh Son Refining and PetroChemical Co Vietnams deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai confirmed that it will work in all areas of the oil refining process including trade transportation storage and research Furthermore with a charter capital of around 19 million Binh Son will also provide education and training for hundreds of local workers to support the industrys expansion plans It is expected that the Dung Quat oil refinery will be capable of producing 65 million tonnes of oil per year supported by an investment capital in excess of 25 billion the deputy prime minister confirmed http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Vietnam-launches-new-oil-training-company-_18641936 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:17:00 GMT Work has started on a new oil refinery in the Hoima District of Uganda the countrys minister of state for energy has confirmed Speaking at the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers National Technology Conference Simon Dujanda revealed that the African state is on course to produce its first oil products by August 2009 In addition to producing 400 barrels of diesel and kerosene on a daily basis to meet local demand the new plant will also produce around 100 megawatts of energy as a byproduct to supplement national supplies ampquotNext year kerosene and diesel will be produced in Ugandaampquot he said ampquotWe shall start with heavy oil and if the flow is good then we shall start producing petrolampquotThe minister has also revealed that the government is to launch a recruitment campaign for the new processing plant within the next few weeks with the countrys higher educational institutes urged to introduce energy industry related course ampquotIts high time our universities and tertiary institutions of learning introduced such coursesampquot he addedThe Hoima plant is being constructed with the assistance of the Irish Tullow Oil Company http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Ugandan-plant-to-drive-local-oil-education-_18639924 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:17:00 GMT Nigerias oil and gas industry is being bolstered by a new initiative aimed at training native construction professionals Organised by the Southern African Institute of Welding SAIW and the Nigerian Institute of Welding NIW the training programme comes on the back of a recent directive from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC which stated that oil companies working in the country are to use locallyproduced equipment in the exploration processing and transportation processes More specifically the certification of welding procedures and welders themselves need to be carried out in Nigeria the directive stated Commenting on the programme NIW president Solomon Edebiri told South Africas Engineering News ampquotThe first step was with the help of the SAIW to conduct an eightweek assessment and training of 80 of these welders so that they could be certified to internationally accredited ISO 9606 standards Nigerian instructors will also be trainedampquotHe added that the NNPC which is the sixthlargest oil producer in the world already has a strong pool of skilled construction workers many of whom come from Nigeria or neighbouring South Africa though this latest move marks a step closer to the development of a panSubSaharan professional body for the sector http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Nigerian-oil-engineering-scheme-launched-_18639390 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:15:00 GMT The College of the North Atlantic has officially opened its Oil and Gas Training Centre in Qatar After several months working alongside representatives of the local oil and gas industry the new college now boasts eight process pilot plants giving students the opportunity to gain handson experience of chemical processes alongside a thorough classroom education Speaking at the opening College of the North Atlantic president Jean Madill explained ampquotThis is one of the premier oil and gas training centres in the regionampquotHe added that the new facility would also allow for troubleshooting exercises to be carried out in a controlled environment capable of emulating real industry conditions with local professionals set to work alongside contract training students Representatives of the states Joint Oversight Board the School of Engineering Technology and the local oil and gas industry were in attendance at the opening The news comes in the same week that Qatars oil minister Abdullah alAttiyah argued that global oil supplies remain strong and therefore Opec need not move to boost output to bring an end to the current global price hike http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Qatari-oil-and-gas-training-college-opens_18635677 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:40:01 GMT Malaysias domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Datuk Shahrir Samad has confirmed that the staterun oil company has been funding welfare and education programmes across the country Over recent months a number of objections have been raised to the price increases introduced by Petronas with many arguing that the company is not doing enough to shield people from soaring wholesale costs However speaking at his first monthly gathering with his ministry since he assumed his new role Mr Shahrir stated ampquotPetronas is helping out let me assure you of thatampquotHe explained that while the company did not subsidise petrol at the pump a system is in place whereby it gives the Malaysian government part of its revenue to be placed into a consolidated fund ampquotIt is money from the fund that the Government is using to subsidise petrol agriculture education welfare and now food We give all these aids with the help of Petronasampquot the minister added Earlier this week Petronas confirmed that its plans to build a 100000barrel refinery in Port Sudan had been deferred due to rising costs http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Minister-Petronas-helping-out-with-welfare_18633554 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:08:00 GMT The president of the Brazilian energy company Petrobras is in New York to pick up an award for the firms commitment to supporting educational projects across Latin America Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo is due to receive the Education Leadership Award from the World Education and Development Fund Worldfund for Petrobras longstanding educational initiatives across the continent Through its Petrobras University and Resource and Development Centre the semipublic company educates its own workers allowing them to gain qualifications within the oil and gas industry while also working towards technological innovation Furthermore its Petrobras Development and Citizenship initiative has worked to address issues of inequality and combat poverty and poor education levels in the regions where it works including a number of sites across Brazil Argentina Chile Colombia Peru and Venezuela At the same time it is expected that Mr Gabrielli de Azevado will use the opportunity of his trip to the US city to outline the companys investment plans and its oil and gas production expansion aims both within Brazil and abroad Last years recipient of the Education Leadership Award was Jeffrey Immelt the president of General Electric http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Petrobras-honoured-for-education-work_18631344 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:17:00 GMT The high levels of employee training and development within the Middle Eastern oil and gas industry could benefit the clean energy sector in the longrun a new report has concluded Research carried out by the global executive research firm Heidrick ampamp Struggles revealed that while the amount of money put into clean energy development grew by 60 per cent to around amp163175 billion over the course of 2007 the sector is still hindered by a shortage of human capital Of those industry senior executives polled 37 per cent called this shortage of skilled workers ampquotvery seriousampquot with 59 per cent believing it to be ampquotmoderately seriousampquot particularly when it comes to management professionals However a significant proportion of those questioned said that they felt the oil and gas sector to be a possible future source of skilled workers with the Middle East being the worlds ampquotbread basketampquot for energy sector workers Ayman Haddad managing partner for the Middle East and North Africa noted ampquotWhile the global clean energy industry faces this serious issue in the Middle East there is a huge opportunity simply because the oil and gas sector is the principal training ground for future managers in the clean energy sectorampquotAs well as this with this regionamp146s large population of young people we have a huge pool of future talent providing there is a focus on education and training to address this needampquot http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Energy-chiefs-look-to-oil-industry-training-_18631342 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:16:00 GMT Having already established a strong presence within the Middle Eastern oil and gas industry General Electric Company GE has unveiled a new initiative aimed at strengthening its local workforce in the region At present the US firm employs some 1500 workers within the Middle East including in energy industry operations as well as in a number of other sectors including healthcare and aviation However it is now looking to reduce its reliability on workers from other parts of the world with the launch of its new Come Join Me recruitment drive while also stepping up training and development programmes for its current employees with a particular focus on enabling professionals to switch from one industry into another while staying with GE Jeffrey Wooten human resources director at GE Corporate Middle East and Africa explained ampquotOur wide portfolio ensures that opportunities within GE are endless Our diversity allows for expansive educational opportunities and worldwide we invest over US1 billion per year on training our people ampquotThe existing pool of qualified young professionals in the region provides us with a favorable environment to expand operations and to develop the business exponentiallyampquotSaudi Arabia is currently home to GEs largest workforce with 700 employees based in the oilproducing state http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/General-Electric-announces-Middle-East-recruitment-and-train_18623811 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:02:55 GMT Oil and gas industry professionals in Aberdeen are to benefit from a new drive aimed at improving the standards of human resources software used in the sector Following the recent opening of its specialist training facility for industry workers in the Scottish city Absoft has confirmed that it is to concentrate on the oil and gas sector in particular as it rolls out its new generation of SAP software The move will see companies such as Chevron Talisman and Total be offered training courses and seminars in optimising their SAP assets and according to the leader of the new oil and gas team at Absoft Don Valentine comes on the back of extensive research into the needs of the industry ampquotWith our knowledge in oil and gas and SAP we felt we had a lot to offer the industry in terms of training provision and the sharing of SAP based best practiceampquot he explainedampquotThis is an exciting time not just for the oil and gas industry but for Absoft as well This new dedicated approach isnt simply about capturing new business its about listening to what our customers and the energy sector as a whole is demanding and using our experience to help them achieve their goalsampquot http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Aberdeen-software-firm-unveils-new-oil-and-gas-SAP-training-_18621349 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:20 GMT New figures from the oil and gas industry in Bahrain show it to have a higher percentage of nationalised workers than any other sector in the countryHighlighting the ongoing drive to educate and train domestic workers the new statistics from the National Oil and Gas Authority Noga reveal that 85 per cent of workers in the oil and gas industry are Bahraini nationalsFor example of the 3212 employees working for the governmentowned Bapco 2679 are now Bahraini nationals equivalent to 83 per cent This stands in comparison to the 79 per cent recorded at the end of 2006 and comes on the back of investment in education training in the four major petroleum and gas companies growing by 25 per cent Noga chairman and the countrys oil minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza welcomes the new figures explaining that the increased Bahrainisation is an indicator of the ongoing success of training and development programmes being carried out across the country ampquotThe 85 per cent is regarded the highest when compared with other sectors in Bahrain and the GCC Gulf countriesampquot he added http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Ongoing-training-boosting-Bahraini-national-oil-worker-numbe_18620360 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:20 GMT Shell has announced that it is to offer training and support to four Chester sixthform students as it looks to further promote engineering in UK schools To date more than 40 students have benefited from the companys scheme which enables pupils to gain handson work experience at its sites and gain a fuller appreciation of the oil industry Now the four teenagers from Upton High School have been invited to work alongside Shell engineer Brian Carey to develop an electrical circuit system designed to start up essential equipment without overloading a plants electrical capabilities Commenting on the scheme Mr Carey stated ampquotNot only is it an excellent opportunity for the company to run a project which will be of practical use in the workplace but it will also help to develop the students technical engineering knowledgeampquotI hope I am able to transmit my enthusiasm and learning experiences to the students and encourage them to pursue a career in engineeringampquot he told the Chester Standard This latest initiative forms part of the national Engineering Education Scheme which has been credited with setting hundreds of youngsters up for a career within subjectrelated fields http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Shell-offers-onsite-training-for-new-batch-of-trainee-engine_18620358 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:20 GMT Youngsters in the Canadian city of Medicine Hat are to be offered funding to help them develop skills which could be utilised in the state of Albertas burgeoning oil industry The citys MP and Canadian minister for human resources and social development Monte Solberg announced the new scheme entitled Oilfield Worker 2008 at the national parliament Under the initiative dozens of young people will be given both classroom and onsite training relating to a host of skills needed for a career in the oil exploration industry including onfield safety and best onsite practice ampquotWe all know that many of the new jobs in the Medicine Hat area are in the energy fieldampquot the minister stated ampquotThrough the Oilfield Worker 2008 project well be able to help 48 young people find and keep quality jobs and well also help local employers facing labour shortagesampquotOver recent years the governments Advantage Canada Plan has given many industry workers including those in the oil sector a significant boost largely through reducing taxes for Canadian workers and improving competition among domestic enterprises http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Minister-unveils-new-Alberta-oil-training-scheme-_18618447 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:20 GMT Britains oil and gas industry has learnt significant lessons over the years from the Piper Alpha disaster and has used them to instil comprehensive health and safety training for workers in the sector That is the conclusion of a new report into the longterm effects of the tragedy by the industry body Oil ampamp Gas UK The 1988 incident which saw an explosion and subsequent fire kill 167 men on the offshore oil platform prompted an indepth government inquiry which ultimately issued 100 safety recommendations Now the employer federations director of health and safety Chris Allen has stated that the lessons learnt from Piper Alpha have drastically altered training standards within the sector making a repetition of such a disaster highly unlikely ampquotPiper Alpha was a turning point for the UK oil and gas industry leading to significant changes in the industrys approach to safety management regulation and trainingampquot he told an industry conference ampquotThis included transferring the responsibility for offshore safety to the Health and Safety Executive HSE setting up a safety case regime replacing existing prescriptive legislation with goal setting requirements encouraging greater workforce involvement and making major changes to the design of offshore platformsampquot According to the latest figures from the HSE during 20067 there were just two fatalities within the UK oil industry in comparison to 85 in the service sector and 77 in construction with improvements in training standards a significant reason behind this http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Oil-and-gas-training-draws-on-Piper-Alpha-lessons_18617536 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:20 GMT In a strategic move for the petrochemical industry PetroSkills and Curtin University of Technology are now offering a Master of Technology Petroleum Technology to engineers working in the oil and gas industry The partnership will provide a link between competencybased graduate training programs and a Master level academic qualification PetroSkills is a global training alliance of the major oil and gas companies and is an industry leader in delivering graduate training programs specifically for the oil and gas sector Professor Andris Stelbovics Pro ViceChancellor Science and Engineering at Curtin explained the significance of the partnership between Curtin and PetroSkills and how it will benefit the industry ampldquoOffering industry engineers a recognised professional Master qualification through Curtin is an important step towards a more collaborative approach to serving the global community and meeting industry demandamprdquo Professor Stelbovics said ampldquoHistorically engineers undertaking further training have been required to leave their employment in order to gain a postgraduate qualification The Master of Technology Petroleum Technology offered by the CurtinPetroSkills partnership offers an online flexible program with a time commitment that is easily managed by engineers in the oil and gas industryamprdquo Professor Martyn Ray MTech Academic Course Director outlined how the PetroSkills training will provide an integral component of the masters level program for graduate engineers ampldquoFrom 1 August 2008 Curtin will offer an online program for participating students where half the credit points will be obtained through workplace projects The remaining credit points required will be obtained through university assessment of selected PetroSkills course materialsamprdquo Professor Ray said ampldquoImprovements in studentamprsquos competencies and skills will be quantified by completing an assessment of workplace related coursework and demonstrating learning outcomes designed to further an individualamprsquos career progressionamprdquo ampldquoParticipants can complete the Master program parttime and online without having to leave the workplaceamprdquo Ford Brett the President of PetroSkills recently visited Curtin and signed the agreement to develop the MTech program between PetroSkills and Curtin PetroSkills have now established a Perth based office The PetroSkills program is now enrolling engineers who are already employed in the oil and gas industry have an undergraduate degree and a minimum one year of relevant industry experience For more informationContact Priya Correia MTech Program Manager Curtin 61 8 9266 1242wwwmtechptcurtineduau Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Curtin-PetroSkills_Partnership_Master_petroleum Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT We need that centre accommodate a visit by our key management people They will be keen to understand how a worldclass training centre functions what sort of equipment it has what kind of training courses it offers what are the means of delivery classroom practical handson or online training The visit to the training centre should be combined with a specific training course on the philosophy of delivering training ampndash how to gain the best results The visit should be viewed as a oneoff tailored project and we would expect to pay for it through a ampldquoconsulting services agreementamprdquo All interested training centres should contact Anna Petrachkova Manager HSE Organizational Capability Development annapetrachkovametinvestholdingcom ampnbsp 38 067 543 21 93 Press release ends Oil ampamp Gas Directory Training ampamp Development http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/training_centres Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Bahrains minister of oil and gas affairs has expressed his delight at Getenergys decision to hold its first event on education and training within the refining and petrochemical industries in the countryDr AbdulHussain Ali Mirza who also serves as the chairman of the National Oil and Gas Authority NOGA pledged to provide all the necessary help to ensure that the twoday event which is due to take place on 10th and 11th of November 2008 is a success He explained that one of NOGAs key strategic objectives is to ampquotmaximise efforts to develop national manpower and indigenise positions in the petroleum industryampquotAs such the Bahraini government fully supports Getenergys plans to push forward training and development initiatives for local professionals in partnership with the stateowned oil company and other multinational businesses ampquotIt would be our pleasure to hold this event under our patronage and will provide all necessary support to successfully achieve its objectivesampquot the minister statedThe meeting will aim to address the industrywide challenge of meeting growing demand for trained engineers plant managers and HR personnel with some of the regions leading refiners downstream companies and technical colleges and other educational institutions also set to share their ideas and expertise http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Bahraini-oil-minister-welcomes-Getenergy-RP-training-event_18659447 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:05:00 GMT London June 11 2008 BTS the world leader in customised business simulations and other discoverybased learning solutions announces that client BG Group plc BG Group a global integrated gas major has been recognised by Getenergy an education and training trade group for the oil and gas industry for making the most significant contribution to its staff learning and development in 2007 with the implementation of ampquotBusiness Discoveryampquot a business simulation program developed together with BTS Getenergy awards open to any energy company were designed to help promote the organisations goals of improving the capabilities in the exploration production and transportation of energy and to work towards a sustainable global energy industry ampldquoWere pleased and proud to be the winners of the Getenergy awardamprdquo said BG Groups Learning and Development Manager Mark Benians ampldquoBusiness Discovery has played an important role in BG Group by quickly and effectively improving employeesamprsquo understanding of our organisations strategic business modelampquot Over the past two years the highly customised simulation has given more than 500 BG Group employees around the world the experience of running their own gas company with all its inherent challenges and opportunitiesParticipants competing in teams act as managers of the company over an 18year period assessing country entry bidding for licences exploring and appraising prospects and developing reserves Business Discovery assesses teams on their ability to commercialise the reserves they produce through selling into existing demand creating demand through transmission and distribution power and Liquefied Natural Gas LNG projects while always keeping in mind the importance of HSSE health safety security and the environment and Corporate Responsibility investments ampldquoBG Group has met the challenge of aligning its widespread managers to its strategy creating excellence through teamwork and building its energy value chain expertise through Business Discovery with impressive resultsamprdquo said BTS UK MD Joel Sigrist ampldquoI commend the BG Group team on this prestigious award and their forwardthinking approach to talent development and corporate responsibilityamprdquo Notes to Editors BG Group plc LSE BGL is a world leader in natural gas with a strategy focused on connecting competitivelypriced resources to specific highvalue markets Active in 27 countries on five continents BG Group has a broad portfolio of exploration and production Liquefied Natural Gas LNG transmission and distribution and power generation business interests It combines a deep understanding of gas markets with a proven track record in finding and commercialising reserves BTS is the world leader in customised business simulations and other discovery learning solutions that enable leading corporations to change grow and succeed We partner with our clients to develop the mindset and capabilities that their people need to accelerate change and improve business results BTS has 300 highly talented professionals serving over 400 clients including 40 of the US Fortune 100 companies and 25 of the Global Fortune 100 worldamprsquos largest corporations Select BTS clients include ATampampT Ericsson KimberlyClark Nokia Sony Toyota Unilever and Xerox BTS adds value to its clients through three practice areas Strategic Alignment ampamp Business Acumen Leadership ampamp Management and Sales BTS also has strong capabilities in Operational Excellence ampamp Project Leadership and offers an innovative Engage for Change process BTS serves its clients from offices in New York Philadelphia Chicago San Francisco Scottsdale Stamford Beijing Bilbao Brussels Helsinki Johannesburg London Madrid Melbourne Oslo Singapore Stockholm and Sydney Media Contacts Marina Greenwood Activa PR for BTS 4157765350 marinaactivaprcom Joel Sigrist Managing Director BTS UK 44 207 348 1800 Rommin Adl Executive Vice President BTS 4843912902 RomminAdlbtscom http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/bg_group Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT TrainingampnbspRequirements One of our clients in India is looking for training providers specifically to fulfil their captioned training needs of EampampP Training organisations delivering courses for Oil ampamp Gas Production Facilities ampgt Engineeringampgt Constructionampgt Processampgt Operation ampamp Maintenance of Onshore Offshore facilitiesampgt Subsea pipelines installations For further information please send us your company profile and programme details as soon as possible We will forward your contact details to our client immediately Thanks Gustavo Aranda gustavogetenergyeventcom http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/training_Requirements Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Getenergy Ltd has moved its launch Refining and Petrochemical event from Dubai to Bahrain The new dates are 10th 11th November 2008 We have seen a significant demand for a marketplace in Education and Training for the Refining and Petrochemical from the GCC states in general and Saudi Arabia in particular The decision to move our meeting reflects potential of the Saudi market for training and education services and the level of commitment to our concept shown by the Bahraini authorities The move is a positive step for Getenergyamprsquos customers and the community for learning in the process industry which our first event will createFind out more http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/refiningandpetrochemical Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT TrainingampnbspRequirements One of our clients in Russia is looking for training providers specifically to fulfil their technical training ampquotPower supply in OilampampGasampquot covering following areas ampgt Energy saving measures fault protection consumption management Quality management for energy consumptionampgt Specific information technologies used in power industry Special software ampgt Generating equipment drives and generators Operation and repair of the generating equipment ampgt Equipment diagnostics Vibrodiagnostics thermodiagnostics ultrasonic diagnostics instrumentation and control equipmentampnbspampgtampnbspHeat supply for oilampampgas industry and infrastructure design Heat and water supplyampnbspampgt Operations management Dispatching service provision Effective interaction with the parties involved in an emergency ampgt Startup and commissioning works Safe and effective carrying out startingup and commissioning of power supply systems in oilampampgas For further information please send us your company profile and programme details as soon as possible We will forward your contact details to our client immediately Thanks Gustavo Aranda gustavogetenergyeventcom http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/training_Opportunities_oil_and_gas Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT SQA used Getenergy 2008 the annual global education and training exhibition and conference to launch the first of a suite of International Vocational Awards IVAs developed to meet the needs of the international oil and gas industry Designed to provide a qualification that is internationally recognised as a product of quality and integrity the IVA structure is flexible to allow the content of the qualification to be tailored to the industry workforce development needs such as ampbull entirely vocational knowledge and understanding suitable for use in college technical institute or training centre ampbull entirely occupational skills development for use in the work place ampbull combination of occupational skills together with associated vocational knowledge and understanding SQA believe that the following prime features of the IVA make this a truly exceptional qualification type ampbull Developed by specialists for the industry and in conjunction with the industry ampbull Mapped to relevant occupation standards with international standing within the industry ampbull Comprehensive clear and precise assessment strategy to assure consistency of competence assessment ampbull Validated by a panel of independent industry and education experts and potential stakeholders to ensure the IVA is a fitforpurpose qualification ampbull Rigorously quality assured to international standards through regular SQA verification processes and practices ampbull Internationally recognised and benchmarked in level via the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework This first IVA in Hydrocarbon Process Operations at SCQF Level 5 provides certification for the knowledge and understanding in the SNVQ Level 2 in Processing Operations Hydrocarbons Significant interest in this qualification is already being strongly expressed shown from global companies operating across the Middle East in Africa and the Americaamprsquos An equivalent qualification to support the SNVQ 2 in Processing Engineering Maintenance will be available very soon Details of this particular award can be found on the SQA website wwwsqaorgukoilandgas ampnbspor contact the Oil and Gas Team on oilandgassqaorguk ampnbsp http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/sqa Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT i Learning at the core This award recognises the oilgas company which has made the most significant contribution to their staff learning and development in the past 12 months BG Group ii MentorCoach of the Year This award denotes the manager in any department of an oilgas company who has contributed most to the learningdevelopment of hisher staff Musa Rabiu Head of Learning for Africa Region Royal Dutch Shell E and P iii EducationTraining Provider of the Year This award will go to the college company or university who has consistently developed and delivered industry leading programmes University of Petroleum and Energy Studies UPES iv amplsquoThe Rejuvenation Awardamprsquo for Outstanding Progress in Local Content For the country which has made the most progress in achieving a locally employed workforce in its oil and gas industry Nigeria v University Partnership 2008 To recognise a new partnership between an oilgas company and a university or college which shows significant promise Atlantic LNG and UTT University of Trinidad and Tobago http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/awards Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT To find out more about sponsorship opportunities at the event please contact Dan March or Shunker Goel on 44 0207 0965600 and at danmarchgetenergyeventcom ampnbspor shunkergoelgetenergyeventcom http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/learning_arena Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT The Times February 27 200 Philip Andrews the chief executive of Getenergy shares his views on the importance of securing future energy needs Find out more http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/views_on_the_importance_of_securing_future_energy_needs Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Remember that places are strictly limited on our Getenergy social events so donamprsquot miss out on the chance to spend two delightful evenings in Britainamprsquos capital city These nights out are a wonderful chance to interact with your peers away from the buzz of the Learning Arena and allow you to cement those new friendships youamprsquove just spent the day making As ever there are two social events this year Find out more http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/Social_Programme Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Getenergy is delighted to announce that it has received official and formal confirmations of attendance at its GlobalampnbspampnbspEducation and Training Eventampnbspfor the oil and gas industry ampnbspfromRT Hon Malcolm Wicks Minister of State for Energy UK HE Dr Chakib Khelil Minister of Energy and Mines Algeria HE Dr Hussain AlShahristani Minister of Oil Iraq Hon Jim Mather MSP Minister for Enterprise Energy and Tourism ScotlandampnbspOdein Ajumogobia Minister of State for Energy Petroleum Nigeria To find out more click here http://www.getenergyevent.com/News/Latest_news/ministerial_summit_london_2008 Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Media Release Impressive lineup to head IP Week 2008 An impressive lineup of international speakers head up the 94th International Petroleum IP Week to be held 18 ampndash 21 February 2008 in London Organised by the Energy Institute EI the 4day programme opens with the Peter Ellis Jones memorial conference which examines how the national and international oil companies are facing the challenges of investment in new technologies development of skills and new infrastructure through innovation and collaboration Over 2000 executives from the international energy industry are expected to attend and participate in the series of events which covers a wide range of topics including ampbull Russia and CIS ampndash an update on supply ampbull The energy industryamprsquos skills shortage implementing the solutions ampbull Hot or not The outlook for the refining and asset market ampbull 21st Energy Price conference ampbull Upstream ampndash the final frontiers ampbull Spotlight on India ampbull Effective leadership on process safety in the downstream oil industry ampbull Biofuels ampndash the devil is in the detail ampbull LNG ampndash supply markets developments and trends The IP Week lunch which will take place on Tuesday 19 February is to be held at The Dorchester and will feature Sarthak Behuria Hon FEI Chairman Indian Oil Corporation as the keynote speaker Andrew Gould FEI Chairman and CEO Schlumberger will be the Guest of Honour at the prestigious IP Week dinner to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 20 February with Andrew Marr BBC journalist and broadcaster providing light relief as the after dinner speaker Delegate registration at IP Week 2008 For more information or to book your place please contact the EI Events Team Tiana Ettienne t 44 020 7467 7174 e tianaenergyinstorg httpwwwenergyinstorgukipweek ampnbspampndash Ends ampndash Media registration at IP Week 2008 The EI welcomes journalists and media to IP Week 2008 conferences and seminars Registration for journalists at IP Week is free but places are strictly limited and are allocated on a fir