Oil & Gas Industry Helps Change Lives through Education in Developing Economies

Company

2nd July 2014

OPITO’s Support for Open University’s International Development programmes exceeds £865,000

OPITO International, the global oil and gas industry’s training standards body, has today agreed to provide £750,000 of funding over five years to the Open University’s international development arm. This builds on a previous agreement which saw OPITO donate £115,000 over the last three years.

The Open University’s international development office works with academic experts to deliver scalable development programmes and teaching and research initiatives which have a positive impact on developing countries.

The Open University is globally recognised for its teaching and pioneering research to address skills and leadership gaps, improve governance, boost economies and drive social, technological and entrepreneurial innovation. Working with governments, NGOs, funding institutions and local partners, it delivers programmes in developing countries such as front-line health, teacher education and the English language in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Danni Nti, Director of the International Development Office at the Open University, said: “We work where our expertise can have the most impact and where our programmes help build sustainable, social and economic development. We are entirely reliant on the generosity and foresight of funders and donors like OPITO to enable us to take distance education to countries which face enormous challenges.”

“The beauty of OPITO’s financial support is that it is flexible, ensuring that we can react quickly to meet specific in-country needs. With OPITO’s support, we can uncover new solutions, support local partners and deliver effective programmes which really meet local needs.”

Funded by industry for industry, OPITO leads the drive for common global training standards to improve safety in oil and gas. David Doig, OPITO group chief executive said: “Increasingly we are being asked by governments to develop plans to provide their people with the skills and competence necessary in oil and gas. This work takes us to developing economies where education plays a pivotal role in changing people’s lives and we are proud to be able to support the Open University in its aims of providing more programmes and more opportunities for more people in the developing world.”

OPITO International works with governments, regulators and industry in 44 countries to deliver training standards which improve safety and to help develop the skills and competence required in oil and gas. Having become a trusted adviser to Governments, international and national oil companies, OPITO is helping build indigenous workforces capable of supporting the oil and gas industry in places such as Iraq and Malaysia.

OPITO is currently working with all the international oil companies in Iraq to design a framework for delivering suitably qualified Iraqi oil and gas workers to help fully exploit its emerging oil industry and transform the economy of the war torn country.

A similar agreement with Petronas in Malaysia has ensured that OPITO standards are part of the national oil company’s mandatory safety training programme. Through a framework being developed by OPITO, hundreds of technicians will be trained to recognised industry qualifications, allowing them to work wherever Petronas operates in the world.

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