Pacts signed to employ 100 Omanis in engineering, IT fields

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has signed agreements with seven contractors to upskill and employ more than 100 Omanis in a variety of positions within the engineering and IT disciplines.

The Memorandums of Understanding (MOCS) were signed on Wednesday at the Oman In-country Value Forum held under the auspices of Abdulsalam bin Mohammed al Murshidi, President of the Oman Investment Authority.

Under the terms of the agreements, PDO will fund the training of the participants who will then secure work with Al Baraka Oilfield Services (ABOS), KCA Deutag (KCAD), Arabian Industry Projects (AIP), Data Boat (DB), Data Migration and Services (Rihal), and Phaze Technologies (PT) upon the successful completion of their one-year training programme. PDO also signed an MOC with the Oman Society of Petroleum Services (OPAL) to support in executing the training programme.

The MOCS signed with AIP, ABOS and KCAD are part of PDO’S efforts to upskill Omani electricians and mechanics by equipping them with the skills required to become licensed chief electricians and mechanics. The same programme mandates that for every upskilled electrician or mechanic, a fresh graduate should be employed to fill the vacant entry-level position. This is part of a bigger effort to increase the Omanisation percentage within this field.

Additionally, the MOCS signed with AIP and OPAL aim to upskill light vehicle drivers to take up new professions to improve their career prospects and increase their productivity, while the agreements signed with DB, Rihal and PT aim to train and develop 14 women holding Bachelors’ degree in majors related to hi-tech fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Front-end Engineering.

PDO External Affairs and Value Creation Director Eng Abdul-amir al Ajmi, who signed the MOCS on behalf of PDO, said: “We are constantly striving with our contractors to identify meaningful ways to upskill the Omani workforce. Creating work for our job-seekers is a key aim for PDO and a national priority for Oman, and we remain committed to generating employment opportunities both within and beyond the oil and gas sector.”