KAMPALA, UGANDA: The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has confirmed the Institute of Petroleum Studies, Kampala (IPSK) as a degree-awarding institution to help fill the capacity gap in the oil and gas industry.
The Other Awarded Degree Status (ODAI) issued by the Higher Education body now allows the institution to among others train and award Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Oil and Gas, Environmental Health and Safety Management.
Under the leadership of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda and the Ministry of Education, IPSK has successfully established the Uganda Oil and Gas Trainers Association to bridge gaps communicated for the last ten years since obtaining its first license as a university.
Ms Lindah Nalubanga Kasiisa, the senior National Content Officer of the Uganda Petroleum Authority says with more workforce needed for the nascent oil and gas sector, the need for enhanced skilling as development activities is vital to bridge the gap.
“We are building capacity by training Ugandans with the help of expatriates on how to advance different areas of technical work. We have nationalized 50 key jobs in four years, which is rare in other countries,” Ms Nalubanga said.
“We are proud of the Institute because some of the alumni are already working with the contractors in the sector. We are very optimistic that your journey is bridging the knowledge gap,” she added.
Patrick Ruhanuza, the Director IPSK said that they are dealing with academic research as a core of capacity development and the idea is to provide a collection of new information that is vital to the growing industry.
“Our aim is not only to create new knowledge that addresses current issues but also to develop new information related to oil and gas needs,” Mr Ruhanuza said.
On his part, Mr Abraham Nkata, the Chairman IPSK Governing Council said; “Risk should be seen as an opportunity for the country, which needs to find interventions to mitigate risk as a strategic step.”
“The vision of the country is that Ugandan oil & gas professionals are sought after internationally and will occupy senior management, middle management and technical positions worldwide. It is essential that Ugandans are educated on internationally recognized qualifications and standards.”
“This is the confidence of the oil and gas industry that they have the qualifications to ensure that Ugandans have the technical skills and competencies required by the industry,” he added.
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