Local University forges partnerships to introduce oil and gas-related programmes

Oct 15, 2017 News

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Following a 17-day visit to a number of universities, colleges and training centres in Trinidad and Canada, by Director of Nations University, Dr. Brian O’Toole, a number of technical training programmes are in the making.

According to Dr. O’Toole, the recent visit was one intended to help guide the formulation of a five-year training programme in the areas of electrical, mechanical and operations management in response to the oil and gas discoveries in Guyana.
He disclosed that “we found every door open on this visit to Trinidad and Canada, the level of receptivity to the opportunities here in Guyana was very clear. In fact they probably can see the potential clearer than those of us living here in Guyana.”
Dr. O’Toole mentioned that a partnership is to be signed with Linda Mohammed, the Director of Trinizuela Vocational College (TTVC). TTVC has been in operation in Trinidad and Tobago for more than 50 years and has graduated thousands of students in more than 50 City and Guilds courses in areas including: plumbing, masonry and electrical installation.
Part of the planned collaboration will include a ‘Pre- Engineering course’ targeting students who have left school with humble or no qualifications. This training will focus on Mathematics, English, Employability Skills and Technical training.
The Director of Trinizuela, according to Dr. O’Toole, revealed that only 5,000 out of the 18,000 students that write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate each year in Trinidad and Tobago leave school with passes in Mathematics and English.
Even as she questioned what the numbers are in Guyana, the Director divulged that a significant number of students essentially leave the Trinidad and Tobago education system as failures.
To help combat local shortcomings in this regard, Dr. O’Toole said that a course will be developed at Nations for students in Forms Two, Three, and Four to expose them to possible careers in the area of technology, and to help them move past the misconception that “studying technical subjects is for the non-academic students.”
A partnership has also been established by Nations with Keeter Sutherland and its key persons Kuarala Rampersaud and Ganesh Ramsahai, to introduce a series of short Oil and Gas-related courses at Nations in a variety of areas.
During his recent visit, Dr. O’Toole met with a major technical training company in Trinidad to explore the possibility of that institution too developing a collaboration with Nations in the area of technical training.
The Nations Director then moved on to Canada, where for two weeks he was able to follow-up leads from the New Found Land Oil and Gas delegation that was recently hosted by the Canadian High Commission in Guyana.
While visiting the city of Calgary, Dr. O’Toole met with representatives of major colleges and universities to develop training partnerships. He was also invited to visit the AER Core Research Centre, where he was given a tour of the facilities that house core samples from drills throughout the Province. There, discussions were had with the Canadian Petroleum Institute in Calgary, to see possible areas of collaboration, Dr. O’Toole revealed. In fact a two-day stop-over in Ontario saw him being able to sign two agreements with prominent Ontario schools.
Added to this, a group from the London International Academy (LIA) now plans to receive a group of 14 students from Nations at the end of December to partner with their students in developing STEM and robotics training, according to Dr. O’Toole.
The LIA students will in turn come to Nations in Easter and next Summer to further develop this partnership, he added.
Furthermore, a partnership was signed with Nancy Campbell Academy (NCA) in Stratford, Ontario.
“NCA is one of the top schools in Ontario. They focus, in particular, on the performing arts and the promotion of World Citizenship,” reported Dr. O’Toole, who informed too that “a team from NCA will come to Nations in January to work with students at Nations to learn how to promote the performing arts.”
The NCA team will also visit Nations in Easter and the Summer to present dance workshops throughout the country.
“They will also develop the World Citizenship programme that they have used for many years in Canada and which has brought Province-wide recognition to that school,” said Dr. O’Toole.
The final leg of his recent tour entailed a visit to a Training Agency in Nova Scotia. This, according to Dr. O’Toole, has led to a formal partnership with Nations to introduce a five-year technical training programme in Guyana in the areas of electrical, mechanical and operational areas.
“The two Directors of the training agency are coming to Nations for a week from October 23 to develop the partnership,” Dr. O’Toole said.
“The overwhelming impression from the tour was the respect that exists for Guyana internationally and the huge potential for Oil and Gas to make a fundamental impact on this country,” said Dr. O’Toole of his recent visit.
He added, “The theme that permeated all the discussions was the need to establish a readily available, internationally accredited training programme for technicians to ensure Guyanese play a key role in all the various developments, and do not merely observe the changes from the sidelines.”

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