By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Co-Chair of CGX Energy, Professor Suresh Narine does not believe that Guyana has the human resource capital that is needed for the incoming oil boom, nor is the University of Guyana (UG) going to be able to produce the manpower needed for the sector in the coming years.
Both CGX and ExxonMobil are on the verge of accessing oil beneath the ocean floors in Guyana’s territory and some concerns have been raised as to whether Guyana has the human resource capacity for the oil boom.
“I think that UG is clearly nowhere where it needs to be to prepare people for the oil and gas industry…and even if it were to start now, we are still going to have a shortage of people, in my opinion,” said Professor Narine on Friday, June 19.
He said that the industry will provide a slew of jobs in varying fields and it’s “imperative that as a country we begin to map that.”
He opined that the private sector and advocacy groups may be willing to support the government in this regard hence the country’s coffers would not have to bear the brunt of the expense for this type of education.
“It’s very very important that we begin training – it’s money well spent…we have enough advocacy to ensure that the company coffers do not have to come up with all of that,” said the CGX Co-Chair.
“The learning is there, but I think nationally we need to begin that conversation yesterday,” he added.
So, what’s the PNC plan in the wake of the claim?
Stop shooting the messenger.
harry the only approach the pppc had was to sell the oil to venezuela for a cut of the profits to go into their greedy pockets, when are you acolites going to understand that the only interests the pppc government has was self interests, their plan was to make their friends and family rich while the nation suffers. I am sorry for you people who walk around like Ray Charles.
Let mr .Narine know that , we are Guyanese and we adjust to any situation that comes our way . We became professionals all over the world where ever we go . We are creative and have the ability to learn anything . So let him stop his negative remarks .
How does the Venezuela claim impact plans? The GoG has to develop the workforce regardless of oil. The claim could defer exploration for a very long time. The PPP had the correct approach with Venezuela and understood importance of some type of bilateral arrangement. The PNC may have tripped all over itself on this.
Every new born baby has to learn to wlak and talk, Guyana will be a new born oil producer and will have to learn the ropes, what happens is case like this is the developers of the oil infrastructure usually bring in their own personel to run the project and they use local labour to do the work, training of the locals will be done on site while some will be sent to schools for training in administration.
Professor Narine is a small minded individual who is talking from a sour grapes mentality due to the fact that CGX failed to bring the oil to the surface and ExxonMoblie did.
If professor narine is so knowledgable in the workings of the oil industry and know of the short comings of the needed personel, he should be offering his services to the Guyana Government to help educate the needed personel and help to build the necessary infrastructure, but he is acting like a typical uneducated guyanese with his crab in the barell mentality, pull down instead of build up, when are our people going to learn.
Moderator: How many hours or days does it take to moderate a comment? Does it have to go through a major filtering system, get approval from the government? Wow! A refection of Guyana, slow and behind the times.
Sir, you clearly is naïve on how this will work, if ever it get’s off the ground.
he is negative, all those purse snatchers will be employed
@Emile, your concerns are short term issues, Prof Narine’s is long term and sustainability.
Why is anyone surprised? Any country on the cusp of such a transformational shift will need to work and build up its human capital to handle the change. Guyana will, in time, develop its domestic capacity but will need to bridge any gap with imported skills. Even traditional oil economies in the ME still rely on imported skills to bridge the gap. In any case, my understanding, the crude will be loaded onto ships and taken to TT for refining as such, the impact, with regard to skills, will be tempered and drawn out.
It is necessary for Guyana to import human capital to help the country as it goes through tremendous growth and development changes in the next 5-10 years. They are too few educated, skilled and qualified locals to do the job. The country needs an influx of engineers, scientists, computer experts and other intensely technical skilled job workers,of which Guyana is greatly lacking.
The current government should not only pursue the diaspora, but their off springs who may be younger, highly skilled, educated and qualified in their home country to take on some of these jobs. They can be granted long term and short term working visas, with the option to make it permanent after 3-5 years of working in Guyana. The government should also be opened to other qualified foreigners who would like to live and work in Guyana or make it there permanent home. Guyana’s population has been stagnated at 3/4 million people for almost four decades and that is not going to change anytime soon. Import your human capital.
Whilst I partially agree with your response especially as regard Mr Narine’s attitude. I do think he correct. Whilst we wait for actual production to begin we shouldn’t sit on our hands and wait. The time is now to actually start training…. right now!, of citizens within our country and then surplus jobs in worker/trainer capacity should be doled out to experienced Guyanese beyond our shore apart from inevitable expatriates who also should be made to be in worker trainer capacities .
Drilling For OIL In Guyana:
Co-op the Private Sector in the Training of people in the necessary skills, for employment in any Oil Drilling Enterprise.
If this is possible. I say go for it president Granger.
I also believe that we must explore all possibilities, to get as many Guyanese trained in preparation for this venture speedily.
Professor Narine should not be in the oil exploration business if this is his attitude. Did he not know before CGXs venture that Guyana does not have the requisite human resource capacity for an oil boom? Or is he trying to scare off ExxonMobil?
Look, if human resources are all the oil boom needs, then the thousands of Guyanese scattered across the globe will gladly return. The question is: Will there be an oil boom or bust?
With America stepping up its own oil production and ficusing on fracking, the price of oil could likely remain below the US$50 a barrel mark, unless OPEC nations decide to cut production, thereby driving up prices.
Guyana needs oil for its own domestic consumption to reduce that annual oil import bill; any excess could be bartered or sold.