A new batch of 52 trainee engineers has successfully completed their Dangote Petroleum Refinery Graduate Trainee Programme and are now set to be inducted into the refinery as employees.
The trainee engineers in the field of Chemical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering finished their training with a presentation and defense of their final projects in the presence of the management of the Refinery during the weekend.
The engineers who are members of batch 10, added to the hundreds of graduate engineers trained and employed by the Lagos-based world-class refinery in the Graduate Engineer Training Programme, which commenced even before the completion of the Refinery.
One after another, the engineers in groups presented their projects and were grilled by members of management of the Company on what they have learnt so far and what innovations they are bringing into the refinery.
Representing Dangote Industries Limited’s Vice-President, Oil and Gas, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, the Head of Operations of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Manas Banergie, congratulated the new employees and expressed the hope that the training programme would give them new perspectives on their expectations of what lies ahead.
He told the new Dangote Refinery Engineers that the refinery management has no place for maintenance manager but improvement manager. “None of you is trained here to become maintenance manager, we don’t do maintenance here, we only improve by adding innovations.
Dr. Ebele Oputa, Coordinator of the programme and Assistant General Manager, Human Asset Management, Dangote Petroleum Refinery disclosed that the engineers had undergone two years of hands-on training for young engineers in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics Elect.
The Refinery management, according to Dr. Oputa, was to match the theory learnt in their school with the practical offered during the refinery training programme. “This is meant to develop their practical and leadership skills over time to effectively guide their teams in professional and personal development. While some individuals may have a natural inclination to lead, leadership skills can also be honed, allowing all management trainees to excel in leadership roles over time.”
She explained further that Training programs offer opportunities for the engineers to connect with industry professionals, potentially leading to valuable connections and helping them identify their strengths and weaknesses, set career goals, and develop a roadmap for achieving them.
Furthermore, the Programme Coordinator said the hands-on training helps the new engineers to have improved confidence in their abilities and prepares them for the challenges of the workforce.
Giving insights into the details of the training programme, Dr. Oputa explained that the program is a 2-year hands-on training for young engineers in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics Elect. These young men and women are recruited right after NYSC, having gone through the Refinery five five-phase recruitment process.
“At the time of recruitment, they are all below 30 years of age. They pass through induction for three weeks, Observation and Shadowing at the Refinery for four to five months, equipment training in class for two weeks, hands-on/on-the-job training at the Refinery for 6 months.
“Then they proceed to plant-wise training in the production area and on-the-job training and supervised working with Coaching for the rest of their time. Their journey, which eventually qualifies them for Confirmation as staff, covers a minimum of two presentations during the period; a written examination, and Project work which is presented with a defense.”
Then, a confidential report, which is equivalent to an appraisal of the person’s character and performance, is generated on each of them at the end of which they are finally confirmed as full staff of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The trainee Engineers expressed gratitude to the management of the Refinery for the opportunity offered them to be part of the programme preparatory to becoming staff of the world’s largest single train refinery, describing the development as a dream come through for them.
They promised not to let down the management by not losing the confidence reposed in them.
