By Ndubuisi Micheal Obineme
ExxonMobil Training Centre in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, is currently offering Nigerian graduates the opportunity to acquire oil and gas skills through various technical training. The training was part of company’s efforts to assist with human capacity development in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
Over 700 candidates has graduated from this outstanding programme and some of the candidates who completed the programme were subsequently employed by oil companies overseas. Currently, there are about 40 students running the programme at the training centre in Eket.
The training programme, which is in total support of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), covers various disciplines, including mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics engineering, petroleum engineering and chemical engineering covering the technical and technological areas of the oil and gas industry.
ExxonMobil has spent over 10 years on the programme since its establishment in 2006. ExxonMobil is one of the international oil companies (IOCs) that supports NCDMB’s call for local content development and to help provide required skill and capacity building opportunities for Nigerian graduates.
The training programme was initially designed for Nigerian graduates who posses National Diploma (ND) from polytechnics, College of Technology. The admission process is very transparent as qualified candidates are usually selected nationwide through screening at ExxonMobil’s centres in Lagos and Uyo.
The ongoing programme last for about 20 months and after the completion of the program, ExxonMobil awards each candidate with a certificate of completion, City & Guilds Level 4.