Twenty Guyanese, including six women, have been selected from a pool of 1,700 applicants to be the 2026 beneficiaries of Noble Corporation’s Marine Cadet Scholarship Programme.
The awards were presented on March 28, 2026, in Georgetown, during the Noble Marine Cadet Scholarship Award Ceremony, held with partners El Dorado Offshore and MatPal Marine Institute.
The programme is a four-year initiative that combines academic training with offshore experience to prepare Guyanese for maritime careers supporting the country’s oil and gas sector. It includes 18 months of classroom instruction and 18 months of offshore training, with full funding and mentorship support.
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Vice President of El Dorado Offshore, Sarona Samaroo, highlighted the competitiveness of the selection process, noting that “20 persons out of 1700 applications… shows the strength of your talent, your resilience, your discipline and the potential that we have all seen in each of you.”
She talked about the mindset required to succeed, stating that “discipline and resilience will take you further than any talent or skill can… Always keep showing up.”
Kelby Ladner, Rig Manager at Noble Corporation, pointed to the advancement of Guyanese people within offshore operations, describing this event as a “major milestone.”
“We have three… assistant drillers across the four ships out there with more ready to integrate near future,” he added. Ladner urged the cadets to remain focused on growth, adding that they should “continue to focus on being better today, every day… Learn something every day.”
Chief Executive Officer of MatPal Marine Institute, Coleen Abrams, noted the select nature of the cohort, telling the cadets that “you are chosen 20 out of 1700… there was something exceptional about you that allowed you to stand out.”
In 2023, Noble sent two Guyanese nationals to study maritime transportation at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The company is among several international companies operating in Guyana’s oil and gas sector that have provided scholarships and training opportunities for locals.
