A section of the students
Final-year students of the Petroleum Engineering Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi had real practical experience in the oil and gas industry when they embarked on an educational tour to Rigworld Training Centre (RTC) in the Western Region.
The RTC is an indigenous company that offers safety training services to organizations in the offshore oil and gas industry.
The training centre located at Kejebil in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region is fully equipped with advanced simulators, helipad, water survival training pool, medical centre, prime onsite accommodation, restaurant and fitness centre.
The visit was partly aimed at exposing the students to hands-on practical knowledge and experience of safety training in the oil and gas and other extractive sectors.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE after the visit, Anthony Hammer, Assistant Research Fellow of the Petroleum and Engineering Department at KNUST, mentioned that the students were trained in the theoretical aspects of petroleum discovery and exploration and other related topics.
“They are final-year students and very soon they will go to the job market so they are embarking on the tour to be exposed to the other aspects or components which is the field work.
“They have learnt that before working in an offshore facility you need to obtain the minimum safety standard from a certified organization. They have also been educated on other safety issues in the offshore oil and gas business”, he revealed.
Quality Health and Safety Environmental Advisor at the centre, Bismark Odame, disclosed that RTC is Ghanaian-owned world-class ISO 9001:2015 oil and gas accredited safety training centre.
Mr. Odame, who is also a health, safety and environment instructor, said that RTC excelled in providing a range of client-focused safety training services and products to the offshore and the mining industries.
He also indicated that top international training experts with operational excellence had been selected to lead the programmes which also included Lifting Competence Training.
“The centre also offers National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) as well as Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) courses”, he added.
A senior instructor at the training centre, Gina Donn, indicated that RTC had invested heavily in building advanced simulators to provide realistic training, adding “we deliver more than textbook theory”.
She pointed out that RTC was an asset that would help increase safety and productivity in the extractive industries while building local capacity, skills and employment.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi