The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has eleveted the Institute of Petroleum Studies Kampala to Other Awarding Degree Status (ODAI), a deserved milestone that will address capacity gaps in oil and Gas industry in the country.
During a press briefing, the Institute of Petroleum Studies Kampala announced its Other Awarding Degree Status at its premises in Muyenga. This new status comes after a successful and progressive journey of 10 years that is since they got the first license as a tertiary Institution.
Speaking at the press briefing, Lindah Nalubanga Kasiisa, Senior National Content Officer, Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) revealed that there is need for more manpower because explorations are opening up hence a need to train more people.
However, the sector is effortlessly trying to bridge the capacity gaps by allowing knowledge transfer from expatriates to nationals so that they can ably participate in the sector.
“We are building capacity through expatriates training Ugandans on how to take forward the various work scopes technical in nature. We have nationalized 50 jobs within four years which is rare in other countries.” “On top of that,” she adds, “government has trained over 300 people overseas to do technical- related courses so as to take up the jobs in the oil sector which they have done so.”
In regards to research, Patrick Ruhanuza, Director IPSK said we are handling academic research and the idea is to provide a new body of information that is crucial for a growing industry- it’s the ability to study and create new knowledge that will address current problems but also developing new information in as far as what we need the oil and gas is concerned.
Speaking on how the government has mitigated risks, the PAU official illustrated how they mitigated capacity gaps through collaborations with training institutions. Through leadership of PAU and the Ministry of Education, they managed to create Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Uganda where all gaps in the sector are communicated on a quarterly basis and how to bridge them.
Oil and gas sector is highly regulated and works on international standards.
IPSK is contributing to research and development; their courses are research based. As you know, new things are coming up, new technology and new ways of dealing with new challenges. And encourage them to bring more courses on board.
As a strategic move, Abraham Nkata, Chairman Council IPSK Governing informs, we should see risks as an opportunity to this nation that we should find interventions to minimize the risks.
The country’s vision is that, in time, Ugandan Oil & Gas professionals will be sought after internationally and will hold senior, middle management and technician- level positions world-wide. It is imperative that Ugandans are trained to internationally- recognized qualifications and standards.
This will provide the Oil & Gas industry with confidence that Ugandans hold qualifications which ensure they have the technical skills and competencies required by the industry.