Oil & gas technicians ready for work after Exxon-organised training in Canada

The trainees (ExxonMobil photo)
The trainees (ExxonMobil photo)

The first group of Guya-nese operations and maintenance trainees recently returned home after an extensive 18-month training programme in Canada organised by ExxonMobil Guyana.

In a release yesterday, ExxonMobil stated that the trainees will soon be deployed to the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Destiny, where they will be employed by Destiny operator, SBM Offshore, in support of ExxonMobil and its partners, to produce the country’s oil and gas.

Next month, the trainees will transition from the classroom to the on-the-job training component to become offshore operations and maintenance technicians.

“We are delighted with the commitment and progress of the trainees during the programme in Canada and pleased to have more Guyanese joining the offshore oil and gas operations in such highly-skilled roles. Growing local content and providing meaningful employment opportunities for Guyanese and Guyanese companies is a priority for ExxonMobil,” ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge was quoted as saying.

SBM Offshore Country Manager Herve Laurioux believes the programme demonstrates SBM Off-shore’s and ExxonMobil’s commitment to ensuring that Guyanese are meaningfully engaged in every aspect of their work in the country. 

“SBM Offshore welcomes the new technicians to our team in Guyana. We are happy to see them join our Guyanese workforce, and proud to see them participate in our long-term commitment to the country,” Laurioux said.

Initially, the trainees were introduced to basic systems training in four disciplines: electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, and operations. This was followed by hands-on work in a classroom setting and they will now put their training to work on the FPSO where they will be mentored by experienced personnel from SBM Offshore and other business partners.

The development model for operations and maintenance employees is designed for trainees to advance from trainee technician to fully qualified technician over a period of time with certification and validation check points along the way.  They will replace experienced international workers over the coming years, the release added.