Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) last month marked the graduation of 420 young Omanis from its sponsored training schemes to take up full-time employment.
A celebration event was held at Muscat’s Grand Millennium hotel on May 21st to acknowledge their success, and was attended by Dr Mohammed Al Rumhy, Oman’s Minister of Oil and Gas.
The jobseekers have qualified to work in a wide variety of trades, including construction supervisors, welders, safety officers, electricians, scaffolders, pipe fitters, mechanics, metal sheet fabricators, heavy goods vehicle drivers and occupational health and safety technicians.
The trainees were the seventh batch to graduate from PDO’s National Objectives programme which has created around 30,000 job, training and redeployment opportunities for Omanis since it was launched in 2011.
The Omani NOC is targeting the creation of 50,000 such opportunities in the next three years in close consultation with the National Training Fund and has been actively working with partners beyond its natural boundaries including aviation, real estate, fashion and hospitality as part of the ongoing effort to diversify the Sultanate’s economy.
“This is another landmark moment for our National Objectives programme and our ongoing commitment to generate employment opportunities across the entire economy,” PDO’s External Affairs and Value Creation director Abdul-Amir Abdul-Hussein Al Ajmi, said.
“I congratulate all those young people who have shown the commitment and diligence to succeed in their training so that they can now go on to build rewarding careers and contribute to Oman’s future success,” Al Ajmi was quoted as saying in a press release.
The graduates underwent training lasting up to 18 months with the National Training Institute, the Institute of Technical Training Services, the Technical and Administrative Training Institute and the Dalma Training Institute.
They will work with 24 PDO contractors, both in the oil and gas sector and other industries, including Bahwan Engineering Company, Drake & Scull, Adhi Oman, Arabian Supply and Contractors, Power Tech, Al Turki Enterprises, Mud Industries, Oman Fiber Optic, Techno Gear Industries and Najed Al Ahliya.
Al Ajmi said: “Our National Objectives programme is based on training jobseekers for skilled positions with low Omanisation levels but a high industry demand, so that they can forge good careers in their chosen area, and work either in the Sultanate or abroad.”
For future batches, PDO will be launching an award for the best trainee, best trainee employer and best training institute to further recognise and motivate those participating in the programme.
