Wednesday 30 / October / 2024
MUSCAT: No major workforce reductions are expected this year at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), which is a major exploration and production company in the Sultanate.
“Some expatriates’ contracts will not be extended, but otherwise no major reduction in our workforce (is expected). We will stay on the course of very high levels of activity,” PDO Managing Director, Raoul Restucci, told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held at the Crowne Plaza on Monday.
The event was held to honour 195 Omani jobseekers, who graduated to the highest international standards to work as welders on PDO’s Rabab Harweel integrated oil and gas mega project. It took place under the auspices of Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy and in the presence of Minister of Manpower, Sheikh Abdullah Al Bakri.
New jobs
Asked as to how many jobs are expected to be created by PDO in 2016, Restucci said, “We are targeting 7,000 jobs like we did last year.”
He said the graduation ceremony was just an example of the company’s initiatives to develop the local workforce with a variety of skill sets that the industry needs.
The Minister of Oil and Gas also expressed hope that there will be no job cuts in the oil and gas sector this year, but said it all depends on what will happen next.
“Life is getting a little bit complicated, but we are trying our best to continue business as usual. But it is difficult. We are facing many challenges,” Al Rumhy noted.
The graduating recruits have successfully completed 20 months’ training and are taking up positions with two of the company’s main contractors, CCC and Al Turki Enterprises.
The PDO-funded vocational training scheme combines theory and practice and qualifies trainees up to the 6G level—the most advanced—which is recognised by international accreditation bodies, such as The Welding Institute (TWI) and The American Welding Society.
The directives
Abdul Amir Al Ajmi, PDO’s External Affairs’ director, said the idea for the programme stemmed from the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to provide more training and employment opportunities to job seekers.
Meanwhile, Restucci said, “This is another success story for our National Objectives programme, which is all about creating meaningful and rewarding training and employment opportunities for Omanis. So far, we have been able to generate around 20,000 of these opportunities since 2011 and we are determined to do even more.”
Retention package
The 6G programme offers an enhanced financial and retention package for participants and is the first in the region to have a TWI-accredited centre outside the United Kingdom. The aim is for the programme to serve as a benchmark for the entire oil and gas sector and other industries in the Sultanate.
The 195 graduates underwent training at the RAY Skills Development’s Halban workshop in Muscat.
Trainee Saood Al Habsi, 22, said, “The programme has changed my life a great deal. I have learnt many things. I have benefited from the time spent on this programme and learnt that working hard will give me many opportunities in future.”
Fellow recruit Asad Al Riyami, 27, added, “I have learnt so much and these skills will provide me with an excellent platform to launch a career in welding and welding inspection. This has been a tough course, but by working hard, I have achieved many things and made many friends.”
Another 200 trainees are scheduled to begin the next 6G course soon and interviews and assessments are currently taking place.
