Head of Guyana’s Local Content Secretariat, Dr. Martin Pertab shared during the opening ceremony of the Guyana Supplier Forum 2022, that the oil and gas sector has exceeded targets set for the training and hiring of Guyanese nationals to take up opportunities.
At June, contractors and sub-contractors operating in Guyana’s oil and gas industry expended US$3.3 million on training locals by June; well surpassing the US$1.8 million initially pledged.
Dr. Pertab explained that the Secretariat, since coming into being, has placed emphasis on bridging the knowledge gap by working closely with contractors, sub-contractors and licensees to ensure Guyanese are given priority in the recruitment process.
Local Content Secretariat inviting stakeholders to report grievances | OilNOW
As a commitment had been made to expend around US$1.8 million on training, the amount surpassed is some 80%.
On the hiring side, he said based on initial estimates, over 800 new local hires were anticipated for Guyana’s oil industry.
However, as of June, preliminary estimation by the Secretariat shows a total of 1,125 new job opportunities were created so far. Of that number, Dr. Pertab said 858 were filled by Guyanese. This now means that a total of 3,689 Guyanese nationals have found gainful employment in the oil and gas sector.
Local Content Secretariat filtering all applications vigorously for schemers – Bharrat | OilNOW
He pointed out as well that almost 80% of the new hires were in technical roles.
All in all, Guyana not only achieved its annual target for new hires in just six months but exceeded it by 34.5%.
The Guyana Supplier Forum 2022 will be used by ExxonMobil and its Prime Contractors to tell more Guyanese nationals and companies about opportunities available to them, with a view of expanding local participation.
Day 2 of the Forum continues Wednesday at the Leonora Stadium (National Track and Field Facility).
