Twenty-four young men, on Wednesday, graduated from the TOTALTEC Academy armed with certificates that equip them to join Guyana’s emerging oil and gas industry.
Delivering remarks at the graduation ceremony Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo noted that with the petroleum industry coming on stream, persons have to be prepared to meet international standards.
“As a pioneer, TOTALTEC is lighting the fire on top of the mountain. Through its programmes, it is saying training is the means by which you will reach higher standards”, the Prime Minister stated.
Following a familiarisation tour of the company’s facilities the Prime Minister opined that the company is preparing its students not only for the actual retrieval of oil but also for a new world of opportunities.
Graduates Fabian Roberts, Rodcliffe Melville, Shemroy Cox described the course as a challenging one but noted the training was beneficial for their future careers.
The Academy began its third training programme in August with the addition of the first Guyanese assistant instructor. As the Academy continues its efforts to increase the participation of women in the local oil industry, among its latest batch, are four female recruits. According to Prime Minister Nagamootoo this, “shows a new dimension to the opportunities in the industry. It is not no-longer male-dominated.”
One of the new recruits, Mvarisia James saw an advertisement in the newspapers and decided to apply, “I received the call in March for an interview. I was successful and accepted the challenge.”
Her fellow classmate Colleen Moore said she was encouraged to enroll by colleagues who recently graduated. She added whilst the training has been tough she is enjoying meeting that challenge. “I encourage young women everywhere to join, the rewards will be huge”, Moore enthused.
President and CEO of TOTALTEC, Lars Mangal said the academy is on track to have over 100 trainees successfully graduate by end of 2018. “When we started the programme in March, we could not predict the demand”. He added that with the imminent arrival of a third ExxonMobil rig, first oil less than two years away and other operators planning exploration wells, the service industry is recognising the importance of a well- trained Guyanese workforce.
