Guyana’s Maritime Safety Training Institute to boost local content training

Guyana’ maritime training institute MatPal and TOTALTEC Academy have collaborated to form the Maritime Safety Training Institute (MSTI), to offer state-of-the-art maritime and safety related training programmes.
At a simple ceremony on Thursday, to announce the formation of the institute, MatPal’s CEO Colleen Abrams said the partnership will bring world-class training to Guyana as efforts are being made to develop local content for the oil and gas sector.
“Through this strategic collaboration we are committed to addressing the issue of local content through training as well as adopting and enforcing the standards that are nationally and internationally accepted, so as to set and keep the bar high as it relates to knowledge and skill transfer,” a DPI release quoted Abrams as saying.
Meanwhile, Senior Vice President of TotalTec Oilfield Services, Mike Henzell said the alliance of the two local pioneering companies will ensure world-class training for locals aspiring to work in the oil and gas sector
“Through this alliance, the Maritime Safety Training Institute will develop state-of-the-art facilities for maritime and safety related training. We are investing in Guyana and its future by employing qualified instructors, equipment and new physical facilities to deliver all facets of this highly specialized training. Our investment in training and development of Guyanese young men and women is unparalleled and show our strong commitment to investing in people now for the future which is key to building a vibrant workforce that participates in our industry,” Henzell explained.
Further, Henzell noted that the certification to be issued is internationally sanctioned and is in keeping with internationally established standards.
“The courses offered by MatPal are all certified by the International Maritime Organisation which is the UN specialised agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. IPMA training courses are mapped to the UK based institution of occupational safety and health and OPITO standards.”
According to Henzell, TOTALTEC’s International Petroleum & Maritime Academy (IPMA) is the only training institution in Guyana which offers full immersion safety and operational training programme into the oil and gas industry, including practical training on industry-specific equipment and machinery while MatPal is the only Guyanese training facility that offers maritime training courses which are certified by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
OPITO is the global, not-for-profit, skills body for the energy industry. More than 250,000 people are trained to OPITO standards every year, across 45 countries through over 200 approved training centres. The organisation works with governments and industry employers across the world to develop and implement national and international competency frameworks.