The University of Guyana is looking to build its capabilities in the emerging oil and gas sector through partnerships with other educational institutions in the region and even further afield.
This was disclosed by Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith on Thursday, in his recognition of the importance of building a cadre of young professionals that can respond to the demands of such a sector.
Further, he stated that a Needs and Capability Assessment was commissioned to determine what gaps are there and what needs to be done.
He said, “Some of what is relevant to Oil and Gas is taught in the faculty of Natural Sciences, some of it is in Earth and Environmental Sciences. I need to know what we have and what are the gaps. We have equipment shortage in some of our faculties, we have staff shortage and we need to fix that if we are to capitalize fully on the sector.”
He noted that discussions have begun with a number of Universities abroad to offer joint courses in certain areas.
Among those that have already shown some interest are the University of the West Indies (UWI), the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of Alberta.
He explained that “I want to be mindful of advice we’ve been getting from universities and consultants because we don’t want to be producing and overproducing and then you’ll have graduates with degrees who can’t find a job.”
A number of entities such as the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA) have been looking to work with learning institutions in an effort to boost capacity for training in the petroleum sector in Guyana.
