British ambassador to Oman stresses importance of vocational training

Muscat: British Ambassador to Oman, Jon Wilks highlighted the importance of vocational training at the opening of the new training facility of the National Training Institute (NTI).
The new training facility in Ghala was inaugurated under the auspices of Sayyid Tarik bin Shabib, by Raoul Restucci, managing director of Petroleum Development Oman and the British Ambassador to Oman.
Talking about the potential this nation has to offer, Wilks said: “I can see that the future of the Sultanate looks so bright looking at the investment that is going into developing the local talent, especially in the oil and gas sector. I am happy that a British company (Babcock Oman) is playing a pivotal role in building the potential of this nation and we at the British Embassy are committed to playing our part in it.”
Lawrence Alva, chief executive officer of NTI said, “The facility is a testimony of NTI’s commitment to building the competency of the nation’s employees and creating the future work-pool of the Sultanate. Through the new centre, we aim to raise the bar in training excellence by consolidating all our operations into one integrated, state-of-the-art facility.”
He continued, “NTI’s commitment to ‘continuous improvement’ and the setting of new benchmarks is reflected in our Quality Management System, ISO 9001:2008 certification and various international accreditations. At NTI, we design curricula and programmes that incorporate practical training delivery, thus making us a preferred and proficient training partner—a skills assurance partner in the Sultanate.”
Raoul Restucci, managing director of Petroleum Development Oman, said, “It is an honour to be a part of the event and we are very proud of our 25-year long association with NTI. They have been a key player on so many fronts, particularly our collaboration in the National Objectives programme as part of In-Country Value. We would like to commend NTI for their commitment to the development of Omani manpower and will continue to extend our support.”
Alastair Stangroom, managing director, Babcock Oman, said, “We are happy to welcome everyone to the new state-of-the-art training facility. At NTI, we can boast about having private sector training facilities, along with a staff that is highly committed and passionate about what they do. Going forward, we will continue to build on our reputation as a premier training institute and set an example for others to follow. We will also continue to seek excellence and surpass our client’s expectations.”
Centrally located and facing the expressway in Ghala, NTI’s facility is equipped with the best in safety culture and technology and comprises advanced workshops for a wide range of engineering operations and maintenance training, together with plant and machinery for lifting operations and IT Training laboratories. With a total built-up area of 90,000 square Feet, along with an outdoor practical training area of 32,000 square feet, NTI’s new facility can train 800 persons at any given time.
The centre has six modern workshops and 38 contemporary learning rooms for technical vocational training, HSE, leadership and management training; the ultra-modern facility also contains simulators and equipment to create controlled problem solving, life saving and fire fighting scenarios.