Guyana’s first premier oil and gas training centre was officially opened on Friday, and according to Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, Guyanese can now benefit from an assortment of cutting-edge capacity-building courses without having to leave the country.
Located at Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence is a joint venture between two Guyanese companies – Orinduik Development Incorporated and Windsor Technologies – and US-based 3t EnerMech, which is a strategic alliance between 3t Energy Group and EnerMech.
This Training Centre of Excellence combines expert instruction in-classroom training facilities, blended learning software and technology, and fully immersive simulators for high-hazard activity learning to empower and provide Guyanese with key skills and training certifications that are required to work in the offshore environment.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Phillips pointed out that this ground-breaking facility would bring immense benefits to Guyanese. He noted that since the discovery of oil offshore, Guyana has undergone transformational changes to create a conducive environment for the development of the petroleum sector, and he said the abundant and life-changing opportunities that the industry offers must not bypass Guyanese.
“A crucial factor to the success of our nation lies in our people. We must ensure that we utilise the benefits of the oil and gas sector to build a bright future for this generation, the next generation of Guyanese, and beyond. To do that, we must undertake a culture of ownership, a culture where our local content – our people – can thrive, and that includes within the workplace itself,” Phillips stated.
According to the Prime Minister, the Government has been continuously engaging in the training of the local workforce to occupy important positions in the oil and gas sector and contribute to the building of this sector, and ultimately the development of Guyana.
To this end, he posited that the establishment of this training facility strengthens a PPP manifesto promise to train thousands of Guyanese at every level to create a national corps of managers and workforce to chart the future direction and effectively manage all the sectors in the country.
“With you being the first entity with approval to deliver Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation-accredited training to the oil and gas sector in Guyana, our human resources are now strengthened at a global standard to actively and competently participate in the building of this new and abundant area of our country.
“With an industry that requires high skills and knowledge, it is reassuring to know that these capacities can be imparted to our people without having to leave their home soil,” the PM noted.
Previously, Guyanese would have had to travel to the United States, the United Kingdom, or even Trinidad and Tobago to undergo training and secure the necessary certification to work in the oil and gas sector here. These include Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) accreditations.
According to Phillips, these certifications will place Guyanese among the top qualified players in the global oil and gas industry, thus further adding to Guyana’s growing potential as a powerhouse in the sector.
While it has now officially opened, 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence has been operating in Guyana over the past three years, and offering over 500 courses specifically designed to upscale the oil and gas sector.
EnerMech’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Christian Brown, explained that this facility is the first regional ECITB-accredited centre, and is also Guyana’s first OPITO-approved facility.
“The doors are wide open now to do all the training we need, not only for Guyana, but for the region here, within Georgetown. It’s a pivotal time, because now, with this centre, we can train Guyanese people in the roles across many skills, many competencies, to support all of the investments that are going within our oil and gas sector,” Brown posited.
In addition to the current skills and competency training being offered, the centre would be adding Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET), and Firefighting and Emergency Response Training as well to its accreditation services.
The EnerMech CEO outlined that more capital, resources and training would be added to make sure the local oil and gas industry’s needs are met, while simultaneously developing the Guyanese talent pool and backing the country with a qualified workforce.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat pointed out that Guyana is blessed with human resources, and underscored the need to develop this pool to fully realise local content.
“We are never going to achieve true local content if we don’t develop our human capital, our local capacity at the Private Sector level, so that Guyanese can benefit from the oil and gas sector too. Because that is the cry that resonates throughout the entire country as we travel around, and rightly so,” he stated.
The Minister added, “Today is a true example of local content. Today is a true example of how Guyanese are starting to establish themselves in the oil and gas sector along with international partners, because we need the expertise, we need the investments, and we need the technology. And that is why we have always, as a Government, encouraged our local businesses, our local entrepreneurs, to join in partnership in joint ventures and consortiums, and to work with foreign investors to build facilities as this one.”
In addition to opening on Friday, 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence also held the graduation of its first group of students. The 18 students, who took the courses through the Guyana Government’s GOAL initiative, graduated with the ECITB Level 2 certificate. One-third of those graduates are females.
PM Phillips charged the group of young Guyanese to put their skills to use.
“I congratulate the first cohort of participants who underwent training at this facility. May you take your skills and put them to their fullest use as you proceed in your daily tasks of helping to build a better Guyana.”
