Twenty-four (24) highly trained Papua New Guineans will now join other skilled national workers working in the oil and gas industry in the country and abroad.
The students were part of the ExxonMobil PNG sponsored program who graduated from the Kumul Petroleum Academy in Port Moresby last Friday.
Sixteen of them were process operators and eight were instruments graduates.
Training centre manager Julian Betts said the graduates will spend two weeks at home before they report to site at ExxonMobil.
They will go direct into employment in two weeks.
They will undergo a nine months’ probation program and training to be able to fit into the program with ExxonMobil.
Julian Betts
Every year, the academy runs the sponsored program by ExxonMobil PNG depending on the training ExxonMobil requested.
The academy runs courses in operation for process operators at the site and maintenance.
Maintenance have three streams including mechanical, electrical and instrument.
Mr Betts said for this year, the academy was asked to train process operators.
Sixteen from the group are operators and eight are instrumental.
We were not asked to train any mechanic or electrical this time but I understand that there are some more coming next year.
Mr Betts
The graduates described the training program as once in a lifetime opportunity for them.
ExxonMobil PNG operations manager Shameka Nelson spoke of the experiences of individuals who have graduated from the academy and have excelled in the workforce today.
The program attracts more than 3000 graduates applying for training every year.
A total of 156 students have graduated from the academy over the past six years.
Mr Betts said students who wish to apply for the program need to pass their grade 12 at reasonable levels within the last eight years.
He or she must be a PNG national, must be able to prove that with form of national identity, and should have completed a technical certificate in technical college or a university.