Oil and gas companies operating in the Albertine region and other education stakeholders have been urged to put more focus on mindset change to ensure the promotion of vocational skills development.

William Kasigazi, the Hoima deputy Resident City Commissioner in charge of the Hoima East division, says the mindset of the community is one of the biggest challenges affecting government efforts in promoting vocational skills development.

Kasigazi who was officiating the graduation of 50 youth from the Albertine region said vocation skills development is the way to go in fighting the challenges of unemployment in the country among the youth.

Beneficiaries posing for a photo after the graduation on Friday. Photos by Peter Abaanabasazi

He added that they have hope that the trained youth will be able to create their own jobs instead of seeking jobs.

The beneficiary youth were awarded with international Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECTIB) and certification Program 2022 after the completed month training, which was conducted at Uganda Industrial Research Institute and Namanve Industrial Park in Kampala equipped the beneficiaries with skills in rigging, pipe fitting, electrical installation, electrical maintenance and scaffolding.

The training of the youth is one of the initiatives funded by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Uganda to prepare Ugandans to be able to tap into opportunities created by the oil and gas sector as the country heads to the oil and gas production phase. CNOOC is taking the Kingfisher oil field in Buhuka parish Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube district onshore of Lake Albert.

The beneficiaries were selected from different vocational institutions from Albertine region, including St Joseph Technical Institute, Buhimba Technical Institute in Kikuube district, St Simon Peter Vocation Training Institute and Nile Vocation Training Institute in Hoima district and Uganda Technical Institute Kyema in Masindi district.

 Kasigazi commended CNOOC for promoting and equipping the youth with vocational skills, adding that there is a need to sensitise the parents to encourage their children to embrace vocational skills development to bridge the poor attitude towards vocational skills among the youth.

 “Countries like Germany have development because they prioritised vocation skills development, but our people here have a negative attitude that vocation skills are always taken by people who have failed examination,” he said.

Promoting national content

CNOON president Liu Xiangdong said the training is one of the strategies put in place by the company to develop human resource capacity to ensure the promotion of national content and local content in the sector.

In the message which was delivered by Eric Daniel Jumba, the CNOOC national content manager, President Liu said the initiative is aimed at fostering social economic development in their area of operation and Uganda at large.

“Communities are an integral part of our business and trained communities align around our shared goals. We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about the prosperity of our community” he said, adding that the company has implemented national content programmes such as training the trainers, welder certification, heavy good vehicle certification, heavy equipment training, enterprise development and community suppliers development among others

Immense opportunities

Joseph Nyakairu, the senior content officer in charge of capacity building at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda said that the signing of the Final Investment Decision (FID) has opened immense opportunities, specifically for enterprise development, employment and skills development. 

He added that the ongoing developments in the oil and gas sector present opportunities for Ugandans, adding that at the peak of the activities 2023-2025, about 160,000 workers will be required, with 13,000 direct, 42,000 indirect and over 105,000 induced.

Nyakairu said over 12,121 people are already working on the project sites, 94% of whom are Ugandans and contracts worth $6.8 billion have been approved for award to various Ugandan and foreign contractors.

Ivan Wesonga, the chief executive officer of Zeta Energy LTD who was the consultant for the training said the beneficiaries have been registered on the National Oil and Gas Talent Register.

Trimaru Theopister, one of the beneficiaries who qualified in scaffolding expressed excitement about the skill she acquired, saying she has a hope of getting job opportunities in the oil and gas sector.

“This is a big chance I have got because I had never dreamed about this, it is God who has done this for me and I thank CNOOC for giving me this opportunity,” she said.