CLBD, CTVET team up for O&G training

ExxonMobil Guyana’s Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD) and the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) have collaborated to host a two-day workshop for lecturers and instructors of the Government Technical Institute (GTI) and the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) in the area of oil and gas.

The facilitators were Natasha Gaskin-Peters, Allan Lambert and Mark Roberts. Ms.Gaskin-Peters, CLBD’s Senior Business Specialist, said the training offers an introductory course on Offshore Oil and Gas and Health, Safety, Security and Environment.

According to her, “It forms part of the initial phases for building the capacity of these institutions to meet the demands of the emerging oil and gas sector.”

She reminded that US oil company, ExxonMobil has already indicated that by 2025 Guyana will be producing up to750,000 barrels of oil per day. In this regard, she said, TVET institutions will play an enormous role in providing the skills necessary to work on the potential five Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels that will be needed for this process.

Director (acting) of CTVET, Jerry Simpson, said the training is of critical importance, especially since the country has less than three years to prepare before commercial oil production commences.

He said too, “The initiative has been implemented for lecturers and instructors of post-secondary institutions to provide them with the understanding of oil and gas production offshore Guyana.”

Simpson also added, “Guyana still has a far way to go but believes engagements similar to this will open the horizons about what is happening in oil and gas.”

Following the conclusion of this workshop, the team will head to the Essequibo Technical Institute on August 14 and 15 to conduct similar sessions.

The final workshop will be held at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), Woolford Avenue on August 23 and 24.

They are part of a series of training sessions, which commenced in July in Linden. Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the team was in Berbice at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI).