NATIONS Schools Inc has partnered with Mexican-based company, CBM Exploration and Production Engineering (CBMex), to boost human resources capacity in Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector.

According to CBMex Talent Development Director, Miguel Alberto, Guyana is facing some challenges in transitioning her people from agriculture to an oil and gas economy.
As such, Alberto said CBMex felt that the opportunity extended by Nation’s Principal, Dr Brian O’ Toole, had to be taken.

He explained that the company comprises a group of practitioners with expertise in the oil industry and international experience supporting Mexico’s oil sector.
CBMex put special emphasis on exploration and production processes and provides specialised technical assistance consultancy services.

The training courses at Nations, he said, will commence very soon.
“We have some basic courses, and we were discussing to offer a course to start with, for not necessarily technical people, but for all audience, in order to have them understand what is the business of the oil and the chain value and aspects related to the oil business. This is important for every member of the community; they need to know about it. So we have prepared a programme and we are going to be starting very soon,” he told Guyana Chronicle.

He added: “We also have some other specific pieces of training programmes, short and long courses; more related to the reservoir management, installations and more. The oil sector is broad but we are more like a technical company that offers consultancy; with our expertise, offer designs and deliver these types of programmes. The idea is to offer those depending on the needs of the people here.”
Alberto explained that in the courses being offered, an approach called ‘learning by doing’ will be used.

“So we offer mentorship, using cases of study coming from the real world, not just theoretically. And we also compliment it with practicals, so that when they complete the courses, they can be assets in the oil and gas industry with these hands-on training,” the talent development director said.
With Guyana’s economy largely based on agriculture, the coming of the oil and gas sector on stream would result in diversified businesses that require well-trained employees.
Dr O’Tooles told Guyana Chronicle that Nations will facilitate the training while CBMex representatives will be teaching the courses. The certificates, he said, will be issued by CBMex, an internationally recognised company.

“CBMex works all over Latin America. One of the major thrusts they have is in training, so they run a whole set of training courses in all kinds of areas, including oil and gas. The idea is that we will partner with them, they will run the course, we’ll do the logistics, and we’ll get the people. And the prices are very realistic,” O’Toole said.

“The first course is going to be an introduction to the oil business and that will commence soon. We are trying to get Guyanese into the market early, so we are putting our efforts into these courses because we want the locals to benefit from what is coming,” he added.