Developing skilled talent

GRADUATES from the University of Papua New Guinea’s (UPNG) School of Natural and Physical Science now have a chance of securing a job while still in school.
This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UPNG, CGG and Easy Skill last Thursday.
The agreement established a graduate programme that would support UPNG science graduates with on-job training, workshops, work experience and mentoring.
CGG operations manager Raphael Bouvet said PNG needed skilled man power and they were looking forward to training locals to work in the industry.
“The main objective of the graduate programme is to create partnership between the parties to professionally develop talented, performing UPNG graduates to management level through rigorous workplace and overseas training, mentorship and leadership,” he said.
“Since 2017 CGG has started to do onshore seismic acquisition project for a number of oil and gas companies that includes Interoil, Horizon, Total, Oil Search and Exxon.”
CGG is a French-based geophysical company established in PNG that provides seismic survey services to oil companies onshore.
Bouvet said by 2023, they should have a 100 per cent PNG citizen team operate seismic projects in the country.
Easy Skill commercial manager Tara Taylor said UPNG produced about 20 geoscience graduates yearly and by 2023 their aim was to train about 50-60 skilled workers in the field of geoscience.