Takatuf and Petrofac Sign JV Agreement to Establish 'Centre of Excellence' in Oman

London, March 3rd 2014 – Takatuf Oman LLC, the human capital solution provider for Oman Oil Company (OOC), has signed an Incorporated Joint Venture (IJV) agreement with Petrofac, an international oil and gas services provider, to establish an industry-leading ‘Centre of Excellence’. Slated to become the largest technical training centre in Oman, the agreement was signed by H.E. Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi, Chairman of OOC, and Paul Groves, Managing Director of Petrofac Training Services.

Using the latest technologies, the new facility will combine theory with practical application across a number of disciplines with an aim to train Oman’s energy and energy-related workforce to international standards. Starting its operations in 2016, the centre will cater to OOC group of employees.

Commenting on the signing, H.E. Al Jashmi said, “Takatuf’s initiatives constitute an integral part of the continued successes of OOC and its group of companies in the area of human capital development. We are aiming to contribute to the Sultanate’s efforts in creating a capable system for technical and vocational training for our youth to match the future requirements of skilled talented professionals. Thus, the ‘Centre of Excellence’ comes at the forefront of OOC’s operations to meet the forecasted strong growth of our industry in the next decade.”

Ayman Asfari, Petrofac Group Chief Executive said, “Petrofac has a successful 25-year heritage in Oman and we are delighted to be supporting the development of the national oil and gas workforce at a time of significant activity in the sector. Together with our existing operations and recent joint venture award to further develop the Sohar refinery, this demonstrates Petrofac’s commitment to delivering in-country value to Oman now and into the future.”

Based on a two-year programme, the centre will initially take 500 students per year, with the ability to expand to 1,000 in the future. Training will focus on both up and downstream disciplines of the oil and gas industry in a curriculum which will cover operational, mechanical, instrumentation and electrical skills, technical HSE, English Language and generic soft skills, such as project management. The second year will focus on the individual discipline aspect of the programme.