A group of Emirati employees, from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has become the first group of trainees to start a two year professional development programme with Schlumberger, one of the world’s leading oil and gas industry technology and service providers, as ADNOC continues its efforts to build a world-class workforce with enhanced advanced technology and innovation capabilities.
The group, which is mainly female, will undergo professional development at the Schlumberger Middle East and Asia Learning Centre, a joint initiative between ADNOC and Schlumberger. This is the start of a programme that each year will see up to 20 UAE nationals sent to the centre, by ADNOC, to be trained in upstream engineering disciplines.
On a visit to the learning centre, Abdulmunim Al Kindy, ADNOC’s director of upstream said: “ADNOC is committed to developing world-class talent and ensuring its workforce is fully prepared to seize the vast opportunities Abu Dhabi’s strong resource base offers. Our partnership with world leading technology and service providers, like Schlumberger, will enable us to train and develop new employees to the highest global standards, and provide them with the engineering and technical abilities to succeed in the evolving energy landscape.
“In common with other global oil and gas companies, ADNOC is confronting the need to bolster new skills, as the industry adopts advanced technologies and increasingly makes use of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data platforms, in the search to uncover further efficiency gains and create enhanced value. It is critical, therefore, we build a robust pipeline of expert engineers, able to make the most of emerging technologies to ensure that we remain resilient and thrive in the future. I am also delighted that the first group to pass the evaluation criteria are mainly female, underlining our commitment to fostering gender diversity and upskilling top female talent.”
The Schlumberger Middle East and Asia Learning Centre provides advanced training for oil and energy industry professionals and is complete with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, including a custom-built training rig.
All ADNOC trainees will be subject to the same rigorous selection and performance evaluation criteria as the international Schlumberger employees they will learn and develop alongside. As well as receiving training at the centre, ADNOC’s Emirati employees will also receive in-field experience at Schlumberger’s operations across the world.
Shajan Maani, Schlumberger Middle East and Asia learning centre manager said: “We are committed to developing young Emirati talents that will lead our industry in the UAE. To launch this programme, the Schlumberger Middle East and Asia Learning Centre worked hand in hand with ADNOC and the Schlumberger operations teams. The uniqueness of this training programme resides in the combination of state of the art facilities and training expertise with industry business knowledge provided by highly experienced instructors. Diversity is one of Schlumberger’s key differentiators and we are proud to start this journey with a group of dedicated and talented young women.”
The Schlumberger Middle East and Asia Learning Centre is one of the largest oilfield services training centres in the world. Equipped with classrooms, workshops, state-of-the-art laboratories, the latest Learning Technologies such as Virtual Reality and field technical equipment, including a custom-built training rig, the Middle East and Asia Learning Centre provides geoscientists, field engineers, field technicians and maintenance engineers from all over the world with basic and advanced skills related to the oilfield upstream sectors.
Under the terms of the agreement, between ADNOC and Schlumberger, the centre will also be utilised, by ADNOC, to upskill and develop its workforce through specially designed training courses, seminars and workshops.
