Nations University awaits accreditation to offer Oil and Gas, other programmes

Aug 05, 2018 News

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…as it gears to commence Masters in Education in October

Although approval has been granted for the introduction of an Oil and Gas programme, Nations University is still awaiting its accreditation from the National Accreditation Council [NAC]. Speaking of this development Thursday was Director of the educational institution, Dr. Brian O’Toole.
But according to Dr. O’Toole, although the announcement of the programme was met with much eagerness by many potential applicants, the interest has since dwindled.
“We have had to wait for approval for that course, and in the interim, we had 123 people put their names on the waiting list, but that list is now down to 12.”
Recognising the belated lack of interest, Dr. O’Toole said that a public meeting was convened, inviting those who had withdrawn from the programme.
“We asked what happened and one of them at the meeting said, ‘You think ExxonMobil would employ us?’”
Given the perception of many Guyanese that even with training they will not be recruited by the oil giant, Dr. O’Toole shared his view that “that is a very sad commentary on the Guyanese psyche. It is the product of the incredible negative nature of the debate, that is so one-sided, which believes that groups like ExxonMobil are leaving Guyana behind and are taking [employing] everybody from outside”.

He added, “So I think without getting into the politics of oil and gas, clearly there is an unbelievably negative image out there about getting qualified in oil and gas, and we want to try and address that.”
In this regard, Dr. O’Toole shared, “We have worked for more than two and a half years to submit a programme of training to the oil companies, not just Exxon, but to the others as well.” He revealed that Nations was long looking to partner with a Canadian institution to offer a two-year training in electronic mechanical operation. The aim of such a programme, he related, is to “ensure that they do not have to bring in lower level people. We are not trying to train oil and gas specialists with a degree, because that would cost millions of dollars to set up, but what we are trying to do is to make sure that we can get, at the least, qualified welders.”
According to the Nations Director, “I was told, I don’t know if it is true, that recently 95 welders came from Peru, because they couldn’t find qualified Guyanese welders…. [but] for a fraction of the cost, welders in Guyana could have been qualified, so you don’t need to bring in people with humble qualifications.”

Dr. O’Toole made it clear that “we are trying to do our bit…we hear all of these things in the media about local content but we don’t see it anywhere, apart from the odd few people who have been employed. So we are trying to do a course of training that will see people qualified for at least some of the simpler jobs in the oil and gas sector.”
Currently, Nations is on the verge of introducing a number of Masters programmes including in: Psychology, Public Health, Journalism, Banking and Finance, Project Management, Tourism, Law and LLM in Oil and Gas. Once accredited, the programmes will be offered through the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom.
“We don’t pretend to be experts in all these areas, but we can bring in the expertise…we will be bringing in experts from Trinidad, for example Kevin Ramnarine, who was a previous Minister for Oil and Gas, he is on our team to teach the Oil and Gas MBA. They [Trinidad] have had 100 years of experience in Oil and Gas…so they have got the expertise, even if it costs us twice as much to bring someone, especially of his standing…it shows our commitment to get the best possible people out there,” said Dr. O’Toole.
Meanwhile, Nations’ collaboration with Bedfordshire has already positioned it to offer a Masters in Education from October, since this course has already been accredited by the NAC.

The programme is one that will see tutors the likes of Dr. O’Toole delivering a course in Educational Leadership in Context; Ms. Simone Phillips and Mrs. Taskiliya Stewart-Fox delivering on Education and International Development; Ms. Mischka White and Dr. Seeta Roath delivering on Leading Change in Education, while Dr. Dexter Phillips will deliver on Research Methods.
The aim of this course, according to Dr. O’Toole, is to prepare students to become professionals who are [or are planning to be] actively involved in educational leadership and management, and who wish to undertake studies at postgraduate level.
The programme is designed to allow students to study with other professionals from a range of organisations, which will enhance the learning experience and begin to develop a professional community of practice for them to draw on.
The course is modular and credit is accumulated over time, allowing students to study at a pace to suit their circumstances.
Added to this, Dr. O’Toole revealed that students will have choices to allow them to create a personalised programme which acknowledges their current experience and interests. The final phase of the award focuses on educational research, with the completion of a dissertation with a focus on educational leadership and management.
Moreover, the Masters in Education [Leadership] programme aims to focus on evidence-based practice and increase awareness of and access to a range of ideas and research findings about leadership and management in education.
Each unit in this course has its own assessment and wherever possible, the specific focus of assignments will be negotiated individually, in order to ensure that the assignment meets the personal and professional needs of the student. The course provides students with a carefully planned and coherent sequence of learning opportunities that facilitate their development through formative and summative assessments.
The total cost for the course will be about US$6,000 which could be payable in installments over an 18-month period.
Interested persons can visit the New Market, Georgetown-based institution for further information or make contact by way of email using [email protected].
Speaking of the gamut of programmes that are slated to be offered, co-Director of Nations University, Ms. Pamela O’Toole, said, “These programmes are sorely needed in Guyana.”
She noted that the LLB in Oil and Gas for instance could help prepare Guyanese to better negotiate contracts. She added too, “I think these programmes will help to fill the gaps so that people can be able to move on to higher levels of studies.”
This is particularly important, she said, since with the penetration of more international companies, locals vying for jobs will have to be aptly certified in order to be hired.
Given the fact that many individuals may be skilled in a particular field but still lack the associated academics, Mrs. O’Toole said that the University of Bedfordshire has given assurances that it will consider each applicant, not only based on qualifications, but also on experience as well.
“This means that people who do not have a first degree but lots of years of experience in a particular field can be accepted, and this is being done more and more internationally. Bedfordshire has said that it will look at applicants on a case-by-case basis…and we are excited about that,” said Mrs. O’Toole.
She added, “We are very excited that after many months of negotiating, things are coming together now, so we are looking forward now to the NAC approval.”
Ms. Deoranie Kellawan, who holds the portfolio of MBA Programme Manager, revealed that Nations has also been offering MBAs in Marketing, Human Resource Management and Hospital and Health Service Management.
“We are very excited that we are now able to allow our fellow Guyanese to specialise in these areas. For many years when persons wanted to do a MBA they had to leave Guyana and go overseas in order to specialise in one of these areas, but now you can do that right here at home in Guyana,” Kellawan said. She revealed too that the programmes are offered at very affordable prices and are scheduled to cater to the working person.

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