S.6. leavers offered oil and gas training scholarships at ESLSC

By David Mugabe

The Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP) has partnered with ESLSCA to enable young Ugandans attain short-term training in oil and gas and ICT.

The partnership will benefits S.6 vacationists as well as university students who would like to improve their skills as well as acquire new skills in the budding oil and gas industry.

According to Ahmed Walugembe, ESLSCA careers and marketing manager, the institution is in the process of starting degrees in Engineering and Petroleum Economics and Management in partnership with UCMP.

Students who will apply through UCMP will be given priority and they will ride on ESLSCA global collaborations.

“Students who would like to study from ESLSCA-Uganda for their Undergraduate degrees and they were admitted through UCMP will also get a scholarship of 30% on their tuition fees,” noted Walugembe.

The short courses will run from February to June 2015 and it is expected to in general increase access to training in the areas of oil and gas.

ESLSCA is an European Business School founded in 1949 in Paris, France. It is fully accredited by the French ministry of education to offer both undergraduate and post graduate programmes.

ESLSCA was established in Uganda in 2013 after the accreditation by National Council of Higher Education to run undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. ESLSCA Uganda Board of Trustees is headed by Elli Karuhanga, the chairman of UCMP.

According to Irene Nakalyango, UCMP chief executive, the oil, gas and minerals industry still faces a shortage of skills which can only be addressed by appropriate trainings and partnerships.

The country has hit over 6 billion of reserves of oil with almost half recoverable while the entire country is dotted with several minerals that await further exploration and exploitation.

“We are happy with this partnership and we need many more so that more people especially the young ones can take part in this extractive industry which should change our country going forward,” noted Nakalyango.

UCMP is a private sector lobby group that advocates the interest of private sector players in the oil and gas industry as well as advocate for enabling regulatory regime.

Walugembe said ESLSCA programs offer the opportunity to step back from daily responsibilities, reevaluate career goals, and reset directions.

Trainees return to their company with fresh insights on their professional and personal strengths and strategies.