Anticipating construction works to be completed by October of this year on its US$5 million-plus facility, Lusignan Heliport directors yesterday announced that the company plans to build this country’s first polytechnic training centre that would also offer helicopter underwater escape training (HUET) and Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) certification.
“Orinduik Development Inc. and OMIC Training Center Guyana Inc. have teamed up to provide the first HUET/BOSIET training center and Polytechnic drilling/aviation school in Guyana,” the company yesterday stated in an advertisement in the Guyana Chronicle.
The Stabroek News yesterday visited the Lusignan facility and met for the first time, one its directors, Brian Backer.
While there was still some construction works ongoing, most of the building has been completed.
In June of last year, Orinduik Development established an aviation polytechnic, which it said would cater for the emerging oil and gas sector here. The facility was the vision of veteran aeronautical engineer Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hutson, who had said that he still plans to play an active role in giving back to this country.
When the institute was launched last year, one of its aviation consultants, Frankie Francois, had informed the gathering of its purpose. “The Guyana Aviation Polytechnic proposes to offer aviation technology programmes and courses to satisfy the base, middle, and upper level manpower needs for the growing industry.”
Orinduik Development Inc boasts that it is a one hundred per cent-owned Guyanese company, which Backer assures is designed with the development of “all of Guyana in mind.” He stressed that the project is “for all Guyanese.”
Online information about the company shows that its Managing Director is Backer, while the late former Chairman of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Hugh Denbow, was the Board Director of Policies and Regulations. Denbow was murdered last year.
The primary objective of the proposed heliport, according to the company, is to provide an independent facility for helicopter operations in close
proximity to Georgetown, and to facilitate the growing need for such air transport services coming from many sectors, including the extractive industries.
Its Offshore Marine Industry Training Center (OMITC) partner company was founded in 2014, to provide HSE and technical training for the oil and gas segment, with authorisation from the National Institute of Employment and Professional Training, the company explained.
“OMITC offers offshore industrial and maritime survival training and operates as a training facility recognized by OPITO, SCTW and ROSPA (UK) for oil and has service companies,” the release stated.
On its investment, it states, “The investment which will see over US$5M invested into both OMITC and Polytechnic Center to train a substantial number of local Guyanese and international personnel within the oil and gas and aviation sectors. The survival facility features a helicopter underwater escape training (HEUT) installation alongside polytechnic state-of-the-art aviation and on/offshore-related HSE safety drilling, mechanical handling equipment and survival training facilities.”
“Local content policy states that what matters is not only what happens in the sector but what happens beyond which include the transfer of technology, know-how and employment of nationals. The potential to capture and retain value within the local economy though the supply skills, conduct of activities and the offer of goods and services, including employment, provided to oil and gas operations. The provision of these services requires skills, technology, equipment, facilities, infrastructure, OMITC and polytechnic school can offer these services within the market sector,” it added.
Both centres, Orinduik contends, will deliver world-class training, in accordance with global industry standards. OMITC and the polytechnic centre will employ both local Guyanese HSE instructors and international instructors to provide internationally recognised and accredited training courses for onshore and offshore sectors.
