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Berbice Oil and Gas College is one of ten in the world – President Ali
The Factor Simulator facility commissioned by the President on Friday
By Shervin Belgrave
President Mohamed Irfaan Ali
President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Friday afternoon commissioned the US$13 million Guyana Technical Training College Facility Simulator at Port Mourant, Berbice, Region Six.
During his speech Ali said that the training college is one of 10 in the world.
“We are building this for the local and international market… When you research a facility like this in the world we are only one of ten”, Ali said.
He continued that there are countries that have been in Oil and Gas for a long time but have never invested in such a facility.
“We are a newcomer and already we are one in ten”, the president added.
He further explained that his government made the investment at an early stage because it believes in empowering people, building capacity, in training and that transformation must be linked to human resource development.
The facility will provide training of an international standard for trainees in the oil and gas sector.
Accordingly, students can get a job anywhere in the world with qualifications from the college.
Nevertheless, it is his desire that they remain and work in Guyana’s oil gas sector.
Friday’s commissioning ceremony was just phase one of the Berbice oil and gas college, a simulator or FacTor facility.
It was conceptualized some two years ago and was built in eight months through a collaborative effort by ExxonMobil Guyana, SBM Offshore Guyana and the Government of Guyana.
This first phase will provide only practical training for batches of 25 students in four areas, Mechanical, Instrumentation, Electrical, and Production.
SBM Offshore Guyana reportedly oversaw the design and construction of the FacTor facility and its General Manager, Martin Chung said that trainees who meet the technical qualifications to join his company’s offshore trainee technician programme are being recruited from around Guyana.
“The first phase of their training is mainly theoretical which has so far been completed in Canada with a course of one year” Chung said before adding “the trainees would then return to Guyana for phase two of their training”.
The “FacTor simulator”, he said, “will now play a crucial role in this phase providing practical training through the simulation equipment that they will encounter offshore on the vessel (FPSOs).
Meanwhile, ExxonMobil Guyana’s head, Alistair Routledge said, the students “won’t just learn the technical skills” needed to work offshore, but also the procedures and processes to keep people safe in “that work environment”.
“This facility will be expanded next week Friday, we will be turning the sod for a world class hospitality center and days after we will turn the sod for phase two of this facility”.
A campus facility will be further developed to accommodate some 150 students as residents.
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