Can you share a brief overview and journey of TPO’s operations in Oman?
Takatuf Petrofac Oman (TPO) opened its doors for training in 2018 after being established by joint venture shareholders Takatuf, Oman’s leading human capital solutions provider and Petrofac, a world leading energy service provider with a 35-year track record in the development of training and competence programmes and facilities. After identifying a gap in the supply of qualified, safe and competent Omani technicians for the Sultanate’s energy sector, TPO was designed, built and established on the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) site, to create a leading state-of-the-art centre of technical training excellence, offering world class, internationally accredited training programmes, for existing and future technical personnel, delivered by highly qualified and experienced instructional staff.
Since the enrolment of our first groups of trainees, encompassing some of Oman’s major operating companies, TPO has quickly established itself as the go-to centre for technical training solutions. While Training for Employment and supporting In-Country Value (ICV) and Omanisation commitments remain core programmes for TPO, our industry experienced training experts have taken full advantage of the COVID-19 training suspension period during 2020 to develop a wide range of technical short course programmes, focused on developing and upskilling existing professionals in the industry. TPO firmly believes that ‘quality’ must reflect in everything that we do and this will ultimately manifest itself in the young Omani talent that complete their internationally accredited training with us. We are seeing early indications that this is starting to happen, with feedback from sites indicating positive contributions being made from our almost 200 graduates to date. As well as the high standards of training delivery, we attribute this success in part to the strong focus on work ethic and industry standard health and safety practices that are instilled from day one.

What makes TPO programmes a unique experience for students/organisations?
A cornerstone of TPO’s success has been the investment, creation and implementation of industry leading live plant training facilities and equipment, and combining this with cutting edge, interactive digital curriculum and training and competence management software to deliver a truly differentiated learning experience with fast-track outcomes.
All of this has been made possible by the significant investment made by Takatuf and Petrofac, who combined their respective expertise in people development and consuting and global experience in establishing and operating technical training centres to ensure TPO is able to offer clients the following:
• A highly interactive and immersive learning facility using the latest digital technology and equipment, with a focus on practical experiential learning.
• Accelerating the pathway to provide safe, competent and capable oil and gas technicians
• Training principles based on real oil and gas operations and process plant equipment, systems and procedures
• Internationally experienced and qualified instructors, assessors and verifiers
• Relevant international centre approvals and qualifications to Level 3
• Rigorous assessment and third-party validation through external verification
• Bespoke customised training solutions across all operations and maintenance disciplines, designed in collaboration with industry partners and clients.

How are the programmes equipping Omani nationals with the skillsets to meet the demands of the oil and gas industry?
At TPO, the trainees learn using four bespoke process training plants which replicate operational scenarios encountered on live plants, but without actual hydrocarbons, or the pressures and temperatures encountered on site; allowing us to offer a safe, yet realistic training experience, and ideal preparation for life on site. Before the trainees reach the workshop and plant areas, we ensure that they are able to receive and give instructions in English. This is essential preparation for not only ensuring access to TPO’s international qualifications but also to ensure the trainees can communicate and operate safely on English speaking sites. In order to achieve this, an innovative technical English curriculum has been established at TPO and this is applied appropriately to the entry level of our intake population.
Our programmes have been specifically designed to help all our trainees prepare for any scenario, by replicating routine activities as well as a wide range of faults in real-time – without any of the risks or interruptions associated with a live hydrocarbon facility. Trainees work through a range of typical on-the-job scenarios, such as start-up, shut-down, or dealing with an emergency shut-down, using the same equipment and procedures they will face in the field. By taking the technical training curriculum outside of the classroom, and providing real experiences in a safe environment, we accelerate learning and quickly identify and address any gaps in competence.

How are TPO programmes benefiting organisations, in terms of upskilling and reskilling employees?
At TPO, we have the capabilities to provide clients with an integrated end-to-end training and development solution. As more complex assets require an ever more skilled workforce, we have developed our training content to ensure fit-for-purpose solutions that are tailored to meet nationalisation goals as well as safety and technical competence requirements. We differentiate ourselves by our ability to combine industry experience with our hands-on practical training at our state-of-the-art facilities in Muscat.
We understand the importance of workforce retention and development, and the role that re-skilling can take in supporting this process. Through our ability to customise and adapt training to suit the needs of different learners, including the more mature learner who may have spent some time outside of education and training, we understand that not one single approach suits all. The basis for this is clearly understanding a learner’s entry level through a set process including a skills and knowledge gap analysis, followed by designing the programme interventions that are needed to achieve agreed outcomes. TPO is currently supporting a number of reskilling initiatives that follow this exact model, providing long term benefits for the individual employees as well as employers.

Are the programmes aligning with the ICV strategies of organisations?
In-Country Value (ICV) was a guiding principle for Takatuf and Petrofac’s investment in TPO, with the four process training plants, one of TPO’s key differentiators, being fabricated here in Oman. TPO is also actively supporting ICV strategies with different programme models currently underway in the centre, based on a range of different requirements. Collaboration is a critical component in the success of ICV strategies, with TPO playing a pivotal role in offering solutions to support the desired outcomes of government organisations and operating and contracting companies. Through its programmes, directly supporting skills acquisition for Omani technicians, TPO considers itself to be uniquely placed to support operating and contracting companies meet their ICV targets in Oman.