Local, Foreign Consortium is first to be accredited to deliver oil sector training

Aug 18, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – A strategic alliance between Guyana’s Orinduik Development Incorporated, the USA’s Windsor Technologies, and the UK’s 3t EnerMech, has paved the way for the country’s first accredited centre for training and certification from the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO).

Founded in 1977, OPITO is the not-for-profit organisation that defines the standards in the offshore oil and gas industry. By continually reviewing the safety course curriculum, Kaieteur News understands that OPITO makes sure that working offshore continually gets safer and less hazardous. Since 1991, the organization has set the bar for safety in the oil and gas industry. Each year it is training more than 250,000 people around the world.

Importantly, OPITO develops technical and safety training standards which act as the oil and gas industry benchmarks and provide best practice guidance and quality assurance for standards and competence management. Furthermore, OPITO certification is a common requirement for thousands of global offshore workers whose employers require a shared knowledge of safe working practices benchmarked against the same industry standard.

The 3t EnerMech Guyana Training Centre of Excellence, developed by the partners, has since been established to support the region’s growing need to increase its oil and gas talent. The new facility, according to the developers, obtained the OPITO approval to train personnel across a range of rigger, banksman and slinger skills and competencies after meeting the strict criteria set out by the global skills organisation for the energy sector. In addition, 3t EnerMech is on track to widen its OPITO offering in the coming weeks to include Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET), and firefighting emergency response training.

Located in Lusignan, more than (USD) $20M has been invested into the infrastructure which features its own skills hall, welding and fabrication shop, rigging and lifting areas, technology suite and a 14ft deep sea survival pool.

This newspaper understands that nine new full-time jobs have been created, including seven Guyanese nationals, with further local hires planned as an integral part of its growth strategy. It also plans to introduce class-leading simulation and virtual reality technologies aimed at the rapidly growing offshore, drilling and Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel operations.

3t EnerMech’s Alan Sharp has recently been appointed General Manager to oversee the new training complex. He said, “Being the first training provider in Guyana to obtain OPITO approval to deliver its training standards is a fantastic achievement. I’m extremely proud of our entire team and partners for successfully passing the audit and obtaining this globally recognised accreditation for our facility so smoothly.

“Previously, Guyanese nationals looking to secure roles in oil and gas would be faced with travelling to Trinidad, the USA or Europe to gain the necessary training and OPITO certification. The JV business between local firms and 3t EnerMech was created precisely to mitigate these challenges, with the Training Centre of Excellence offering appropriate training that’s more accessible. Our main objectives are to help develop the region’s homegrown talent and sustain the growing needs of the sector for a safe, skilled and competent workforce.

“We look forward to rolling out our first OPITO programme along with a raft of other vital safety courses.”

Now operational, ODITC’s training centre has recently entered the final stages of its phase one development which is expected to be fully complete by September 2022. The team recently welcomed a VIP delegation, which included eight members of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) as well as its president Timothy Tucker, to see how its plans are advancing.

Mr. Sharp added, “…To get to this point, we have engaged with a number of international oil and gas companies, drilling contractors and local supply chain in Guyana to ensure our course portfolio delivers the training they need to support their businesses. The oil and gas sector is very buoyant in the region and there is a large proportion of the workforce which will need regular training to industry standards to be able to work safely and effectively. We are well positioned to leverage our strategic location, local content, in-house training expertise and quality accreditations to grow the business steadily and significantly.” As well as being able to deliver this first tranche of OPITO accredited courses, 3t EnerMech also recently signed a four-year exclusivity agreement with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) to become the sole provider of its licensed training in Angola and Guyana.