Forty-one young graduates shortlisted from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS) on Thursday commenced a 12-month training on Turn-around Maintenance (TAM) under the Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Nigerian Content Human Capital Development (HCD) programme.
The hands-on training will focus on plant management, non-destructive testing techniques for inspection and evaluation of materials or structures to detect flaws or determine their integrity, welding booths, and use of ceiling boards manufactured from a combination of different materials to optimise strength), among other courses.
In an address at the kick-off ceremony in Port Harcourt, Manager, Human Capital Development (HCD), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mrs. Tarilate Teide-Bribena, commended Chevron for its HCD initiative, which she said was reflective of a shared commitment “to shaping the next generation of Nigerian energy professionals.”
Mrs. Teide-Bribena, who represented the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, at the event, said Chevron, by its collaboration with the Board and industry partners, reinforces its role as “a dependable champion of human capital development.”
She also acknowledged the leading role of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) in fostering professionalism and “standards that continue to elevate the quality and relevance of industry training in or country.”
According to her, through the training, theory becomes married with practice and knowledge with competence, and the beneficiaries are prepared for productivity in critical roles in and out of the oil and gas industry.
The HCD Manager charged the training organisation, Geoscape Limited, to focus not only on impartation of skills to the trainees but on improving their values, discipline, and work ethic. In her words, “When we invest in people we don’t just strengthen local content, we secure Nigeria’s energy future.”
In his own remarks, the Capacity Development Advisor of Chevron, Mr. Victor Inyere, said the training programme was a reflection of the company’s commitment to enduring commitment to Nigerian Content development and human capital advancement.
According to him, “We firmly believe that empowering the youth in this country is essential to building…an innovative and sustainable workforce to support the energy and allied sectors.”
He told the trainees that they have earned the opportunity to undergo the programme and that what lay ahead would require discipline, focus and some sense of responsibility.
Earlier in opening remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Geoscape, Mrs. Modupe Jegede, thanked Chevron for appreciating the capacity of the company in managing a training programme of this scope and for all the support enjoyed.
She was equally appreciative of the role the NOGICD Act has played in growing her company, stating, “We are in business today because of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act.” According to her, “We wouldn’t have been given a chance because the IOCs would have been buying their materials directly from their home countries, but the NOGICD Act ensures that Nigerian companies benefit.”
All 41 trainees undertook to be of good behaviour throughout the duration of the training in accordance with the Code of Conduct for NCDMB-nominated Trainees, administered by a supervisor in HCD of the Board, Mr. Suleiman Amolegbe.
