NCDMB Boosts Oil and Gas Capacity with Youth Training Program

Empowering the Next Generation of Oil and Gas Professionals…

By Our Correspondent Yenagoa, Bayelsa, Nigeria

BTvNEWS: The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is making significant strides in developing the skills of Nigerian youths in the oil and gas industry.

The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, on Tuesday inspected the ongoing training of 305 youths at the Centre for Marine and Offshore Technology Development (CMOTD), Rivers State University (RSU).

The training program, which is sponsored by NCDMB, covers seven technical areas, including Automation, Instrumentation and Control, Mechanical/Process Piping and System Design/Pressure Vessel and Heat Exchanges Design (PV-ELITE), Electrical Power Transformer Repairs and Maintenance, and Industrial/Practical Ship Design and Construction.

Other specialist areas covered by the training include Oil Well Surveillance and Enhancement Analysis Training, Capacity Building on Big Data Analytics, and International Class Welding, Fabrication, and Qualification.

The four-month program is part of NCDMB’s Human Capacity Development initiative, designed to close identified indigenous manpower competency gaps in the oil and gas industry.

Participants were selected from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS), the oil industry’s repository of human and technical competencies.

During his inspection, the Executive Secretary charged the participants to make good value of the opportunity.

“The skills you are acquiring are highly sought after in the oil and gas industry and beyond,” he said.

“NCDMB will continue to train Nigerians in key skills required in the operations of the oil industry and linkage sectors, and create employment opportunities,” he added.

The NCDMB boss also visited the Advanced Marine Engineering and Offshore Engineering Research Centre, erected at the university by an international oil company as part of the Nigerian Content institutional strengthening initiative.

He promised that the furnishing and partitioning of the building would be executed, so the building can be utilized for its intended purpose.

Engr. Ogbe also promised to review the delayed completion of the staff quarters, which NCDMB built for the university.

The NCDMB delegation was received by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, and other management personnel.

The National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (NIMENA) and Chairman of the Management Board, CMOTD, Engr. Dr. Sylvanus Eferebo, informed that Rivers State University is designated by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) as the centre of excellence in marine engineering.

He explained, “70% of trainers for CMOTD’s programs are contributed from the oil and gas industry and other sectors, while 30% are from the university.”

With this initiative, NCDMB is empowering the next generation of oil and gas professionals to drive the industry’s growth and development.