By Thompson ABISOLA
The Managing Director, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Mr Adewale Ladenegan, said welders trained under the Petroleum Technology Fund (PTDF) programme would be employed to work for the refinery.
The PTDF disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja, on Tuesday after the graduation ceremony of the second batch of PTDF-trained welders on Post Training Attachment Programme.
He said that the refinery required the services of welders to function effective and optimally.
He said collaboration between the Refinery and the Fund in enhancing the skills and competencies of Nigerians for active participation in the oil and gas industry would maximize value in the industry.
“KRPC requires the services of the welders to function optimally. You can see in the refinery we have pipelines all over and the only way that we can maintain them is through welding.
“We need skilled welders to be able to carry out maintenance activities. We believe that the trainees have been given the best skills that anybody can be given in the industry.
“We believe they are good and therefore we have the plan that when we come to recruit, our first line of consideration would be they because they have worked with us and we know what stuff they are made of.
“Let me add this also that we must encourage them not to rely on paid employment. In this country, everybody should be encouraged to first look at the option of being self-employed because it’s more fulfilling,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the Executive Director, Operations (KRPC) Mr Thaddeus Tsavnande, said the idea to employ the trained welder to work in the refinery was a step in the right direction.
“As a build up to this graduation ceremony, I asked the people directly responsible for the training, if they can employ these trainees. The answer was in affirmative.
“ I am saying this because the refinery cannot do without welders. We have over a million pipelines and to repair or patch them is by welding; So, I want to congratulate my future staff members.
“In the near future we will be looking for people like you and of course you have got the training, you have done the skills acquisition through the welding you have in this place.
“And I’m sure it will be easy for us to absorb you so that you seamlessly enter the job,’’ he said
In his remarks, Dr Bello Gusau, PTDF Executive Director, said the Fund’s Post Training Attachment would ensure that the skills already acquired by the welders were not lost due to lack of gainful employment and practice.
According to him, since they have been given the necessary skills needed for the development of the oil and gas industry, it is important that they are kept busy instead of leaving them idle.
“We have created the capacities and we ensure that with partners such as the KRPC they remain relevant to the development of the industry.
“For the six months they have been here, they have contributed in helping to keep the Kaduna Refinery working.
“ A major achievement besides these is that the trainees have received certification not just for theories but for hands-on experience which indicates that they now have the capacity to deliver in the industry without supervision,’’ he said
Speaking on behalf of the graduate trainees, Mr Sam Williams said the attachment programme exposed them to the internal dynamics of a refinery and the application of practical welding.
“During our training, we were exposed to the refinery for the first time.
“So, the IT programme gave us the opportunity to work in the refinery, to work in the plant to see the real work, how it is done in the field,’’ he said.
