PAKWACH —More youths have attained world class training — positioning themselves to benefit from the massive investments in the oil and gas development phase.
Majority of trainees do not have formal training but have been equipped with skills in oil and gas key areas including pipefitting, welding, lifting and metal fabrication as part of Employment for Sustainable Development in Africa (E4D), a GIZ programme that seeks to boost local employment and raise incomes in eight African countries.
To ensure sustainability of the job opportunities, the programme pursues an integrated approach to employment promotion working on both the demand and supply sides of the labour market and in close cooperation with the private sector.
The training whose focus is for the local population to benefit from international investment projects mainly in the oil and gas sector, and other big infrastructure projects, is being implemented by Solid Rock, Life & Business.
Speaking at a career day event held at Pacer Community Polytechnic Institute in Packwach, Ms. Julia Mager, GIZ said the project they are funding, was designed to make sure that the training responds to industry demands.
“Its an extremely practical oriented training and the youths who have gone through the programme have received a high quality training and being certified by ITB level one and level two,” she said adding that these skills are key in the oil and gas industry and the broader construction sector.
These young people, she said have the potential to take on the available job opportunities in the industry, noting that “We are very happy to see that they are already using these skills to get employment in the [construction] broader sector”.
The government says its greatest need for skilled personnel will be when the country starts the commercial production of oil. Production of the country’s over 1.6 billion barrels of oil is expected to start by 2023, according to government projections.
According to the ministry of energy and mineral resources, over 161,000 jobs would be created in the sector as the construction of the refinery and crude oil pipeline starts.
Mr Robert Omito Steen, the Pakwach district chairperson urged the youths to venture in useful activities and create more jobs than seeking what to do.
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