Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is supporting the training of 300 Omani women jobseekers looking for work in the clothing industry.
The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fashion Apparels LLC which will employ the school leavers on successful completion of a six-month course at its factory in the Salalah Free Zone in Oman.
The women will work on items for leading brands such as Walmart, Macy’s, J.C. Penney and others.
The garments firm has opened a new $20mn production unit on the site and plans to export around 12mn clothing items a year. At its full capacity by 2018, it aims to employ 500 Omanis.
Under the terms of the MoU, PDO is committed to sponsor the women through the tailoring training programme, which will include sewing machine techniques and English communication and computer skills.
It is the latest move by PDO to extend its job creation efforts beyond the oil and gas industry to other sectors of the economy.
PDO’s external affairs and communication manager Suleiman Al Mantheri signed the agreement with Fashion Apparels’ executive director Harinder B.S. Lamba at an official ceremony at PDO’s Knowledge World centre in Al Qurum.
PDO’s managing director Raoul Restucci said: “PDO is pleased to partner with Fashion Apparels LLC on this vocational
training programme which will provide hundreds of Omani women with jobs in the clothing industry.
“PDO is dedicated to supporting the Sultanate’s economy by expanding work opportunities for both Omani men and women so that they can create a sustainable future for themselves.
“This means we will be supporting more vocational training for nationals beyond our natural boundaries in the oil and gas industry to aid economic development and diversification in other sectors.”
The tailoring course, which will include technical and on-the-job training, is being run by the Arabian Training Institute in Salalah.
It is as part of PDO’s National Objectives programme, which was launched in 2011 and has so far created more than 20,000 employment, redeployment and training opportunities for jobseekers with its oil and gas contracting community.
PDO has also championed female economic empowerment through its Banat Oman project which has so far trained 300 women from low-come backgrounds in traditional Omani crafts and skills so they can earn a living and set up their own businesses.
