Draft local content policy GCCI lobbies for apprenticeship programmes to help boost local capacity for oil sector

Aug 11, 2019 News

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (GCCI) has been lobbying for among other things, apprenticeship and understudy programmes, which will aid in boosting the skills of locals in the emerging oil and gas sector.
In its model proposal on local content legislation, the GCCI called for a deliberate and explicit plan for skills transfer and development of the indigenous capacity needs to be articulated in the local content policy.
According to the proposal, GCCI noted that there are skills in the Oil and Gas Industry which can only be acquired via “the learning by doing method.”
As such, the business chambers said that a suitable apprenticeship or understudy programme should be incorporated in the local content policy.
Further, the GCCI noted that there should be a deliberate effort by Government to engage in labour market, information analysis and align the educational institutions with the forecast demand for skills.
The chambers noted, “Citizens should be given preference in employment and training. An operator or contractor with operations in the petroleum sector shall not import unskilled labour for conducting its operations…”
The business chambers had stressed that even though local companies and individuals should be given first consideration, should a Guyanese company not be selected to provide a good or a service, the burden of proof lies with the relevant party or contractor.
According to GCCI, contractors should demonstrate in detail why the Guyanese company has not been selected.
“The Guyanese company should be informed in detail by the operator or contractor within a reasonable time period, on reasons their non-selection.”
Further, the document defined Guyanese companies as “companies that are registered in Guyana where 51 per cent of the share capital is owned by citizen(s) of Guyana; where the board meetings of the said companies are held in Guyana; the head office of the company is located in Guyana and; seventy per cent of the workforce of the company follows suit with the definition of a citizen of Guyana as defined in the Guyana Citizenship Act of 1967.”
In its overall comments on the matter, the GCCI which is headed by Nickolas Deygoo-Boyer, noted the Chamber had reviewed the first and second draft of the local content policy but it left much to be desired.
The GCCI had criticized Government’s local content draft policy noting while it points in the right direction, there is no tangible plans for achieving the aims.
There is no language on exactly Guyanese or Guyanese will participate in the industry through Government Intervention.
Just last month, Director of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe, announced that another final draft of the local content policy has been completed and will be presented to the Private Sector and other stakeholders in about two weeks’ time.
The Energy Director made this announcement, during a press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency on Monday.
Dr. Bynoe said in order to ensure that Guyana’s hydrocarbon resources continue to be managed in an effective and transparent manner, the department is also currently setting up a local content compliance unit that will be mandated not only to validate the information that is being provided by the companies within the industry, but to receive any potential concerns Guyanese contractors or supplies may have.

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