Petroleum Institute set to train workers for Tilenga oil project

The Uganda Petroleum Institute Kigumba (UPIK) is set to start training and assessing production operators, maintenance and inspection technicians slated to work in Tilenga oil project.

According to Bernard Ongodia, the Principal UPIK, they have already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tilenga oil Project operator, TotalEnergies E&P Uganda.

According to the arrangement, students in this cohort will study for three years; starting with receiving instruction from staff members employed by the institute. Later, they will receive training from both local staff and expatriates working in the oil fields and will also be sent for a year of off-shore training.

To Ongodia, this partnership will propel the educational institution to new heights by exposing their staff and students to international oil and gas specialists and boosting their potential to develop the skills necessary for Ugandans to profit from the sector.

He was speaking on Saturday in Kiryandongo District during the commissioning of the institute’s new state of the art facilities and training equipment.

Ongodia says that the institute has also won contracts from Skills Development Fund, Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and TotalEnergies to directly train students in coded welding.

UPIK, which still has the vision of becoming a centre of excellence for oil and gas training, has begun to consider expanding to become a fully-fledged energy institute covering various facets of energy, particularly renewable energy, and possibly changing their name to “Uganda Energy Institute.”