Orpic (Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries) recently celebrated the graduation of 320 Omani trainees at a gala ceremony in Sohar. These graduates are part of Orpic’s comprehensive annual training programme. The event also celebrated the completion of a training program for 23 employees, which was conducted in the Republic of India.

The event, which was held under the auspices of H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al-Bakri, Ministry of Manpower, felicitated employees from different disciplines such as Engineering (Bachelor’s), Instrument Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Chemical Engineers. Engineering; Internal Audit, Procurement, Engineering (Diploma); Field operators, Instrument technicians, Electrical technicians, Mechanical technicians, Document controllers, HSE analysts, etc. The ceremony was also presided by senior government officials, dignitaries, CEO of Orpic and the Executive team.

The students underwent an intense 4-month classroom training and 8 months on-the-job training. For diploma holders, the schedule included 6 months classroom training and 6 months on-the-job training.

Orpic firmly believes in supporting the national In-Country Value programme and hence believes in nurturing and developing young Omanis to take on roles in line with the company’s long-term strategic growth plan. Since the programme commenced in 2011, Orpic has trained more than 1000 young Omanis to take on positions across different internal disciplines. Over the next years, the Orpic training program will aim at training more than 500 new graduates to join a competent national cadre to operate the current and upcoming plants.

Speaking on the occasion Nofal Al Saidi, GM – Human Resource Services, Orpic, stated, “Orpic has an ambitious plan to expand its business through its investments in Sohar Refinery Improvement Project, Liwa Plastics Industries Complex, Muscat Sohar Product Pipeline with a total cost of approximately $9 bn which will be commissioned over the next three years. This means that our need for both new and skilled manpower will increase tremendously. As part of our commitment to support the national drive, we have been training and developing young Omanis to take on various roles. Their development will also be supported by mentors and function heads who will actively seek to nurture and guide these young minds into a bright future whilst bringing the potential of our people alive.”

Orpic has launched various external and internal initiatives in human resources development. One of the internal initiatives is the Arryiada programme, which aims to develop the leadership skills of managers and team leaders. 320 employees participated in this programme, which is currently in its third year.

Additionally, the skills development initiative (ItQan), is an internal programme that targets around 870 of the company’s employees in the technical functions of Mina Al Fahal and Sohar Refineries, and Aromatics Plants. The programme aims to establish and activate a system to develop the skills of engineers, operators and technicians who work in different locations. In addition to these programmes, the company has launched the educational development program, which aims to aid employees in completing their studies and gaining new skills and contacts in their different fields.

Some of the external initiatives of Orpic in this field include Orpic International Scholarships programme running in its fourth year and aims to sponsor 50 students from Al Batinah North Governorate to study in some of the most prestigious academic institutions globally.
In addition, the company is currently working in cooperation with Sohar Aluminium to expand the capacity of the Al Batinah International School from 200 students to 1,000 students by the end of 2018.