SBM Offshore Guyana’s trainee technicians have completed training at the Facility Simulator (FacTor) Unit of the Guyana Technical Training College Incorporated (GTTCI). According to a release from the company, the graduates were honoured during a small ceremony at the GTTCI on July 5 in Port Mourant, Berbice, where the facility is located.
It explained that the trainees underwent a nine-month practical skills training programme in the instrumentation, production, electrical, and mechanical fields at FacTor, honing their skills and further building their capacity to support offshore operations.
The 24 Guyanese form the second cohort of SBM Offshore Guyana’s Trainee Technician Programme and the inaugural batch of students to receive training at the GTTCI. They will soon progress to the next stage of training onboard the Liza Unity Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, where they will be further exposed to practical training in their respective fields, it added.
The release also informed that FacTor was commissioned earlier this year and was established via a collaborative effort with the Government of Guyana and Stabroek Block co-venturers, ExxonMobil Guyana, Hess and CNOOC, along with support from SBM Offshore Guyana. The facility, it added, is a “crucial” element of SBM Offshore Guyana’s local content commitment and ensures Guyanese are equipped with the knowledge required to serve the oil and gas industry.
According to the release, General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana Martin Cheong told the trainees, “As you prepare to embark on your journey offshore, remember that learning does not end here. Embrace every challenge as an opportunity to expand your skills and deepen your understanding of the offshore sector. The world of offshore engineering is constantly evolving, with new technologies and practices emerging regularly.”
President of ExxonMobil Guyana Alistair Routledge in congratulating the graduates, underscored the company’s commitment to the people of Guyana, the release said. “The goal is the people and we have to invest in the people because that sort of raises standards and opportunities for people in the country,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the release said that GTTCI Director Professor Clement Sankat, in his remarks, stated, “Today marks a small but major milestone for the development of technical training of Guyanese to meet the needs of our new developmental frontier in Guyana of oil and gas… this is a small ceremony but this is a huge leap forward for Guyana that we are training, for the first time, our own Guyanese right here.”
Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat, who delivered the keynote address, said that the government understands that human resources and development are necessary for a thriving economy, so therefore, opportunities to join this emerging industry are paramount, according to the release..
“As the Minister of Natural Resources, I would say we have the best gold, we have the best forest, we have the best bauxite, we have the best people also [and] the most important resource is not all of these natural resources that we manage but it is our human resource, our human capital, especially our young people who are venturing into the workforce…you have to dream but you must work to achieve those dreams,” he was quoted as saying.
The release said that overall best-performing trainee Preya Singh reflected on the hard work she and her batchmates underwent on the road to success.
“We discovered our passions, honed our skills, and laid the foundation for our future endeavours. We have navigated through countless challenges to complete this phase of the Trainee Technician programme. In addition to the experiences gained, I hope that we will cherish the friendships we made and the invaluable lessons we have learnt both inside and outside the walls of this institution,” she was quoted as saying.
SBM Offshore Guyana assured that it remained committed to its local content development strategy while continuing to build the skills of young Guyanese to support the oil and gas industry. The company has embarked on a Graduate Engineers’ Programme and Scholarship Programme for Indigenous Women in STEM as part of its ongoing efforts to drive the upskilling of Guyanese, the release added.
