France-headquartered resource management specialist, Veolia, has joined forces with Oman’s Sembcorp Salalah Power and Water Company, and Sohar Operation Services, to launch an apprenticeship programme aimed at elevating the quality of talent entering Oman’s desalination sector.

The nine-month programme will include theoretical learning within a classroom environment as well as on-the-job training for Omani mechanical and electrical engineering graduates from the Sultan Qaboos University and the Salalah Technology College.

The apprenticeship programme is certified by the Ministry of Manpower in Oman and is based upon the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 4, which is UK’s work-based qualification that tests candidates on their knowledge and skills for technical and professional work-related activities.

The programme will be sponsored by Madayn and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

A new apprenticeship will create opportunties for Omanis

Set to be hosted at the Oman Technology Institute (OTI), the first batch of apprentices have been chosen following a rigorous selection process to ensure they had the right foundation to flourish within Oman’s desalination and sustainability market.

Upon successful completion of the programme, candidates are likely to be immediately recruited by companies in the sultanate’s water sector.

Commenting on the initiative, Veolia’s Oman CEO, Erwan Rouxel, said: “We are proud to announce the launch of our new apprenticeship programme. This project will not only accelerate the quality of talent entering Oman’s desalination market, but will also raise the country’s profile as a regional leader for sustainability.”

With over 171,000 employees worldwide, Veolia Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them.

In 2018, the Veolia group supplied 95 million people with drinking water and 63 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 56 million megawatt hours of energy and converted 49 million metric tons of waste into new materials and energy.

Sembcorp Salalah CEO, Humaid Al-Amri, said: “At Sembcorp Salalah, enhancing the capabilities of our employees is one of our key priorities, and we continue to equip our people with specialised training and upskilling opportunities. We are honoured to play an active role to grow young talent and we would like to wish all the candidates a fruitful and meaningful learning journey.”

Sembcorp Salalah developed, financed, built, owns and operates the Salalah Independent Water and Power Plant in Oman. The power plant is the largest and most energy-efficient power and water plant in the Dhofar region. The facility consists of a gas-fired power plant with a contracted power capacity of 445 megawatts and a reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant with a water capacity of 15 million imperial gallons per day. It provides power and water under a 15-year power and water purchase agreement with the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, which is wholly owned by the Government of Oman.

 Sembcorp Salalah is 40 per cent owned by Sembcorp Utilities (Singapore), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, and 13 per cent owned by Oman Investment Corporation (Oman), with others (including public shareholders) holding 47 per cent of the Company’s issued share capital.

Sembcorp Salalah’s largest shareholder, Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp), is a leading energy, marine, and urban development group, operating across multiple markets worldwide.

Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, the director in Sohar Operation Services, Dr Suhaib Abudayyeh, said: “Training is crucial for any organisation as well as for job-seekers, especially in a fast-paced developing country like Oman. We must focus on providing training to fresh Omani graduates on par with the global standards in order to improve their skills and capacities so that they can play an active role in the development of Oman.”

Abudayyeh added: “This programme is in line with Oman’s Ninth Five-Year Development Plan and this kind of initiatives will make the Private Sector more attractive for Omani youth.”

Sohar Operation Services (SOS) is a newly formed company for operation & maintenance (O&M) of Sohar 4 IWP project.

 Sogex Oman is a regional leader in operation & maintenance (O&M) of power and desalination plants. It is the first company to start training for Omanis in the fields of power and water as early as in 1970s. Sogex is a pioneer in O&M of IWPP/IPP/IWP projects in the Middle East including the first IPP project of Manah Power Station in 1996 followed by a series of further such projects in Oman, Saudi Arabia & Algeria. Lately, Sogex has been participating as a developer in such PPP model projects. It is a developer of Sohar IV IWP and currently a shareholder in major IWPP/IPP/IWP projects of Oman.

Ali Al Hashimi, Founder of OTI, said: “The value of our apprenticeship programme is that it is based upon the UK’s NVQ which assesses a candidate’s knowledge and skillset for a technical role. Meeting the NVQ standard ensures that our candidates are equipped with global best practice and that they bring this invaluable knowledge into their future roles.”