The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has announced a new nationwide Human Capital Development (HCD) initiative aimed at training over 10,000 Nigerians in high-demand technical and professional skills within the oil and gas industry.
The programme, titled “Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Program,” is designed to bridge critical skill gaps in the sector and ensure Nigerians are better positioned to take up emerging opportunities from the surge in new oil and gas investments across the country.
According to a statement by the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the training will be implemented over a two-to three-year period.
About the program
NCDMB explained that the initiative would help close skill gaps extracted from the review of applications for Expatriate Quotas by industry operators. The selection of training areas, he said, was informed by engagements with industry stakeholders, including the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), and the Petroleum Contractors Trade Section (PCTS).
NCDMB also drew insights from major upcoming projects and reports from sister agencies such as the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to identify skills in high demand.
The programme will focus on the following 10 technical and professional areas:
- Sub-sea engineering (wellheads, flowlines, umbilicals, sub-sea trees, etc.)
- Underwater welding
- Control and automation engineering (including cementing, well controls, rig operations)
- Helicopter piloting
- Seafaring (including vessel mechanics/electricians)
- Production and maintenance engineering (control room operations, maintenance crew)
- QA/QC engineering (including NDT Levels 1, 2, and 3)
- Geoscience engineering (seismic, geophysics, wellsite geology, etc.)
- Digitization and digitalization (AI, ML, IoT, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Drones, etc.)
Ogbe emphasized that the programme aligns with Section 10(1b) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, which mandates that Nigerians shall be given first consideration for training and employment in the work programme for which the Nigerian Content Plan was submitted by an industry operator.
Application process
The programme is open to Nigerians aged below 35 years who possess OND, HND, or BSc qualifications in Petroleum, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Civil, Gas, Welding, or Metallurgy. Other accepted fields include Geology, Geophysics, Computer Science, Engineering, and other science-related disciplines.
Interested participants are required to register on the NOGIC Joint Qualification System (JQS) via https://nogicjqs.gov.ng/auth/login?redirect=/accounts/login
- New users must create an account, update their profile and academic records, and complete the training registration form.
- Users with incomplete profiles are to update their records before proceeding to register.
- Users with complete profiles can directly register for the programme.
NCDMB said the Board will review the programme after two to three years to decide if the selected skills need adjustment, ensuring the training stays aligned with industry needs.
