Students from across 50 high schools in Guyana are set to benefit from oil and gas training in the new year as part of a collaborative effort between the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) and telecommunications giant – Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GTT).
Dubbed “Fueling Guyana’s Future”, the partnership was officially launched on Wednesday evening and is meant to ensure secondary school aged students receive the necessary exposure, and information, to assist with the decision to become involved in the oil and gas industry in Guyana.
Simultaneously, it is also meant to help increase the local involvement in the South American nation’s newest natural resource industry.
The initiative was already piloted by GOGEC with students from the Annandale Secondary School and Apex Education in November, where the students were given insight into how the oil and gas value chain operates and the opportunities that exist in the sector.
But now, the initiative will be executed on a much larger scale and with some $24 million being invested.
At the launch, GOGEC President Manniram Prashad shared that for the younger generation to build Guyana’s petroleum sector, they must be trained aptly from the tender ages.
“One student said that they do not want to get into the oil and gas sector because they do not want to work on a ship…the students are not aware of the opportunities they can have,” he noted.
“Because all we talk about is the thousands of barrels of oil per day, the environment…nobody is explaining to these youthful minds how they can fit in and benefit from oil and gas and this is why this collaboration with GTT is so important,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GTT, Damien Blackburn who shared too that for the wealth of the oil sector to be shared equality, much focus must be put on capacity building. And the training, he added, is a good starting point.
“It needs to flow to everyone…it is not enough that we talk about it, we also have to go out and do something about it. We have to talk to the 5th form students and the university students about the opportunity that is in their grasps,” Blackburn said. “We believe that the students impacted will be able to positively contribute to the industry through the implementation of this career-building programme within the oil and gas industry.”
He said the contributions of Guyanese to this sector is pivotal in inspiring interests into the future.
Meanwhile, GOGEC’s initiative was commended by the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharat who delivered the main address at the launch. Mr. Bharrat was keen to point out that the intended training will help to realise “true local content” for Guyana.
Already, Bharat said, there is an evident shortage of “technical people” working in the sector and this is something that needs to be changed.
“…and we can only change it by going into the schools, by encouraging school students and by showing them the advantages and disadvantages of being in the natural resource sector,” he remarked.
President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Allister Routledge who was also in attendance pledged the company’s support for the initiative, deeming the move “critical” to the further advancement of the sector.
