TPO celebrates five years of training excellence while looking to the future

Roundup Sunday 19/March/2023 10:02 AM
By: Times News Service
TPO celebrates five years of training excellence while looking to the future

Takatuf Petrofac Oman (TPO), who provide hands-on technical training and national and international qualifications for technicians working in the Energy and Manufacturing sectors, celebrated its fifth anniversary at its state-of-the-art technical training institute in Muscat.

Established in 2018 by Takatuf, Oman’s leading People Consultancy firm; and joint venture partner Petrofac, a leading provider of services to the global energy industry, TPO has quickly established itself as one of Sultanate’s leading vocational centres of excellence, playing a critical role in supporting the Oman Vision 2040, to provide individuals with ‘high-level skills to enter Oman’s labour market’.

Held under the auspices of H.E. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy & Minerals, the commemoration of five years of operations recognised TPO’s inspiring technical training achievements. The event also provided an opportunity to hear how the centre of excellence for the energy industry is gearing up to expand its programmes to support growth across the Sultanate’s renewable energies sector.

Many of those responsible for the institute’s success over the last five years joined the event at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat facility, with representatives from across government and industry. Guests met TPO’s newest intake of students enrolled on its newly launched Two Year Vocational Diploma, under the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation scholarship. It provides exciting opportunities for Oman’s future workforce for the Energy industry.

Sheikh Ibrahim Al Harthi, Managing Director of Takatuf and TPO Board Member said, “We are proud to celebrate the achievements of TPO in Oman's vocational education landscape for the past 5 years since inception. Takatuf's deep commitment to supporting the people of Oman, particularly its youth, has been the driving force behind TPO’s success in providing top-notch technical training in the energy sector; aligning with Oman Vision 2040's commitment to developing a highly skilled and competitive workforce. We remain dedicated to empowering our students with the skills and knowledge they need to build successful careers in this vital industry, and we look forward to continuing our work in Oman for many years to come.”

Dr. Khalid Al Jahwari, Petrofac’s Country Manager for Oman and TPO Board Member said: “TPO is testament to Petrofac’s commitment to continuously support the skills and competence development of local workforces, across the breadth of the energy sector. Recognising that more complex assets require new skillsets, Takatuf and Petrofac have a shared objective in building capabilities to support Oman’s future vision, including the growth of new and renewable energies. This is in line with our intention to help accelerate the country’s energy transition and its net zero emissions ambitions by 2050.”

TPO’s 550 graduates have obtained international qualifications from UK awarding organisations, including City & Guilds, OPITO & CompEX. In 2022, TPO also achieved new milestones for its short course up-skilling programmes, with the training of 1000 short course delegates, as well as its first batch of international students from Schlumberger (SLB) in Turkey. And, while Oman has been TPO’s focus, the centre aspires to become a broader regional centre of excellence.