Since launching its partnership with Guyana in 2019, LearnCorp International (LCI) has trained more than 100 Guyanese technicians, according to company President and CEO, Phil Doody.
“I think it’s 103,” Doody stated during an exclusive interview with OilNOW, referencing the total number of Guyanese who have completed LCI’s 12-month operations and maintenance training program in Canada.
These individuals, he noted, were enrolled through employment with ExxonMobil and later SBM Offshore, which sponsors their training abroad. “Intake one, the students that came here were actually ExxonMobil employees… two, three, and four have all been SBM Offshore employees,” Doody explained.
LCI, a Canadian training company affiliated with Cape Breton University, offers a comprehensive technical and professional development experience tailored to offshore oil and gas operations. Students live on campus, are registered as university students, and receive both classroom instruction and immersive team-building activities.
“It’s predominantly technical training, but it’s also professional development. It…extends far beyond the classroom,” he said. “They live in residence here… the fourth floor…has become known as the ‘Guyana floor’.”
Doody revealed that the current cohort, Intake four, will graduate in August 2025, after which the training program will be fully transitioned to Guyana. “We will be delivering the same program at the Guyana Technical Training College Inc. in Port Mourant… while we are training the Guyanese instructors to essentially displace us over time,” he said. LCI’s role will eventually phase out as local trainers take over.
This repatriation of training reflects LCI’s long-term commitment to building capacity in-country. “It will be a Guyanese-facilitated, delivered program,” Doody confirmed.
In addition to the technician training program, LearnCorp is actively involved in multiple initiatives under the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI), including the development of enhanced welding and electrical programs through partnerships with the Council for TVET and the Ministry of Education.
Recently, the company launched a new campaign called Step Change in Safety, aimed at fostering a stronger safety culture across the country’s 11 public TVET institutes. “We’re trying to empower the next generation of young people to approach safety differently than it has been in the past,” Doody said.
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While LCI does not control recruitment, Doody acknowledged gender disparity among trainees. “It’s been about 80% male, 20% female,” he noted, adding that SBM Offshore has made efforts to recruit more women into the program.
Despite the technical nature of the training, candidates from diverse educational backgrounds, including nursing and teaching, have succeeded. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve had candidates… with no oil and gas experience whatsoever, and they’ve excelled,” Doody said. “We start with the basics. Everyone begins the program on the same footing.”
As Guyana continues to face a shortage of engineers and technical talent, LCI’s expanding local presence and training contributions could play a vital role in bridging that gap. “Our business is definitely growing in Guyana,” Doody stated.
