UNITAR’s partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Nigeria continues to grow with the selection of training candidates from all the 9 Niger Delta states for the UNITAR/RKK Technical Skills training in Namibia, following the previous Automation training in Norway. These programs were conceived as part of efforts to tackle the high level of youth unemployment and restiveness in the region.

These training activities were done in partnership with the Rogaland Training and Education Centre (RKK), a Norwegian foundation established in Namibia by the Rogaland County in south western Norway. The goal of these programs is to provide a technical and vocational training with internationally recognized certifications that will give the Niger Delta youth a qualitative advantage in the employable workforce in both local and global oil and gas industry. It also supports the Federal Government’s Amnesty Program and facilitates the pull of manpower for the Local Content Act 2010.

There were two courses being offered on this particular program; First is the Health Safety Environment and Quality Maintenance (HSE &QM), and secondly the Instrumentation training. The selection process was a rigorous three phased exercise: first an aptitude test scored at 70%, an alternative to practical scored at 15% and finally an oral interview scored at 15%.

Under the UNITAR/NDDC partnership agreement, a large number of beneficiaries were selected for the first training of HSE & QM, and thus they were split into two batches. Two sets of trainees arrived at South Africa Airport and proceeded to Namibia for the intensive Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE) course conducted by NAMSHE OHSE consultants accredited by the Ministry of Labour and Social services, Namibia. The participants are trained in areas of Automation, Welding, Instrumentation, Drilling and Safety and Quality Maintenance.

The trainees of the HSE & QM course have all been certified competent by the Namibia Maritime and Fisheries Institute (NAMFI) after undergoing training from the 21st of March - 15th of April, 2011 and from the 2nd of April - 27th of April, 2011 respectively. The training covered courses specified in their curriculum which are based on the industry’s best practices.

The second technical training of Instrumentation qualified these trainees as Assistant Instrumentation Technicians. All of the trainees have also been certified competent by the Namibia Maritime and Fisheries Institute, Walvis Bay after undergoing 320 hours training from the 2nd of May - 24th of June, 2011. As with the HSE & QM training, the training covered courses which are based on the industry’s best practices.