Twenty-four Guyanese complete first phase of SBM Offshore Guyana’s Trainee Technician Programme

Twenty-four Guyanese completed phase one of SBM Offshore Guyana’s Trainee Technician Programme in Advanced Skills Training in Petroleum Operations. The Trainees are now one step closer to being internationally-qualified to function in various technical roles onboard the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels operating offshore Guyana. This is the second cohort of Guyanese that have been trained under this programme.

They received training at LearnCorp International (LCI), a privately-owned institution operated by Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, Canada.  Over the past year, the trainees received both theoretical and practical instruction in their respective disciplines which included Mechanics, Electrical, Instrumentation and Production. On August 11, they were honoured with a small celebratory ceremony in Canada, where several trainees received awards for their outstanding performances.

Several female trainees performed exceptionally well in their respective disciplines. 

Ms. Arantxa English received two awards— the LCI Safety Award by Discipline and the LCI Most Improved Trainee by Discipline, both within the Electrical field. 

 “I felt honoured and blessed that I was granted this opportunity to experience the programme and I feel well-accomplished. I am grateful that they continue with putting out these programmes because it is important for young Guyanese generations to be involved in this sector as SBM Offshore has provided for us,” she expressed.

Ms. Shannon Tungcap was awarded the Best Trainee per Discipline in the Mechanical field while Ms. Selma Simon and Ms. Preya Singh attained the LCI Safety Award by Discipline in their respective fields of Mechanics and Instrumentation. 

Mr. Kester Tobin, who was awarded the Best Overall Trainee and also the SBM Offshore Operations Manager Award Best Trainee per Discipline for his stellar performance in the Electrical field, asserted that he learnt a plethora of new electrical information that he was not exposed to prior to the training. 

He commented, “I really appreciated this opportunity because it really helped me to grow over all, in terms of safety, teamwork – it was a real wonderful opportunity and I believe that more youths should try to get into this programme because it’s a very great programme, you benefit a lot from it.”

During the ceremony, Operations Manager of the Liza Unity FPSO, Mr. Ranieri Soares relayed a message from the company’s Group Human Resource Director, Ms. Anne Guerin-Moens, commending the team for their excellent performances, and emphasising the company’s commitment to developing their capacity. He said, “We are very committed to building local Guyanese as the Local Content Act stipulates. We are very proud to be part of this development of the whole country, and you are now ready to embrace SBM Offshore’s core values, which is Integrity, Care, Entrepreneurship and Ownership.” 

SBM Offshore Guyana’s Human Resource Manager, Ms. Onecia Johnson applauded the team for a job well done. “Your SBM Offshore family is delighted at your success and welcomes you to the team. We look forward to your return and the invaluable contributions you will make as you continue this journey within our operations,” she stated.

The Trainee Technician Programme is one of several initiatives undertaken by the company to build the capacity of Guyanese to serve the local oil and gas sector, and is aligned with the company’s Local Content commitments to upskill Guyanese.