At least 110 drivers are set to be trained, Licensed and certified to drive Heavy Goods trucks and trailers (class CH License) or rigid trucks (class CM license).
The training will be executed by Uganda Driving Standards Agency (UDSA) on behalf of CNOOC to meet the skills gaps in the logistics and transportation competencies especially in the oil and gas sector in Uganda.
Earlier this year, the government and the JV Partners took a significant milestone for the people of Uganda which shall unlock billions of dollars of investment in Uganda’s oil and gas sector. This decision paved the way for progress on contract awards as all major engineering, procurement and construction contracts have been awarded and are currently on-going or under mobilization to start execution. Our longer term strategic pillars are quality and enhancement for sustainable development of the oil and gas resource.
Transportation is also among the goods and services to be provided by Ugandan companies, Ugandan citizens and Registered entities as detailed in the Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) (National Content) Regulations, 2016.
This training will enable the trained drivers to explore and acquire more expertise in Heavy Goods Vehicles Driving and Road Safety which is well in line with the national content promotion guidelines.
The selection of trainees in this particular cohort was undertaken in partnership with Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom that supported the identification and selection of trainees from 8 districts of Kikuube, Hoima, Masindi, Buliisa, Kiryandongo, Kakumiro, Kibaale and Kagadi together with the implementing service provider Uganda Driving Standards Agency (UDSA).
The partnership with the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom was aimed at Host Community content enhancement for potential beneficiaries from the Bunyoro Sub-Region that hosts the Kingfisher Project.
Mr. Mathew Kyaligonza, the National Content Manager CNOOC Uganda Limited said the key objectives of this training include; Train Ugandan HGV drivers and support them to obtain required driving licenses (class CH license for truck and trailer or class CM license for rigid trucks); so that they are eligible for transportation and logistics related jobs in the oil & gas and other sectors.
It is also aimed at enhancing the knowledge and practice of professional driving among Ugandan HGV drivers by training them according to the East African Community standardized curriculum for drivers of large commercial vehicles and/or international standards for HGV drivers.
In the interest of ensuring that the training maintains national social distancing and the Training Standard Operating Procedures to prevent COVID-9, the program shall maintain 4 trainees per instructor per day and only 1 trainee in a truck during practical sessions. This arrangement shall enable the Trainee to have ample time with their respective instructors during the training.
Andrew Byakutuga Ateenyi, the Prime Minister of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom stated that “We are grateful for the partnership between CNOOC Uganda Limited and Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and we look forward to more opportunities of working together. We want our people to be skilled enough so that we can gain from the oil and gas resource”.
Mr. Ronald Nkata, the Chief instructor of the trained students stated that “This three months program shall provide an interactive forum for us to share, explore and discuss concepts and issues of HGV driving and Road Safety with our trainees.”
The oil exploration company is sponsoring the training and Certification of 160 Welders in 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and 6G Coded welding to AWS international standards, 84 Teachers in the Train the Trainer program that included five certified programs for teachers from different Ugandan Vocational Training institutions (VTIs), 150 -200 SMEs in the Enterprise development program, the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) training and certification of 60 participants that shall provide the engineering construction industry workforce the skills it needs to meet the challenges of the future enabling development and qualification in a wide range of craft, technical and professional disciplines.
