The Institute of Petroleum Studies Kampala (IPSK) and Busoga International Polytechnic (BIP) on 30th April, 2024 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will see the former’s students get practical knowledge about the oil and gas industry.
Mr James Mugerwa, the Principal, signed on behalf of IPSK, while BIP Director, Ms Reham Mustafa, signed on behalf of her organisation at the BIP offices in Bugembe, Jinja North City Division.
“BIP is a strategic relationship that will make our students marketable, not only to the Ugandan market, but also for the international market,” Mr Mugerwa said, adding that students will be starting their courses immediately and as soon as they have the funds available.
He said he hopes that the MoU will be fruitful for the next five years and beyond, noting that IPSK students stand to highly benefit from the MoU, especially from the practical courses they will undertake under the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) programme.
The OPITO programme is globally recognised as the standard for training in the oil and gas sector, and its certifications are sought after by industry professionals worldwide, opening doors to lucrative career opportunities and international employment.
Some major oil and gas companies that commonly require or prefer OPITO certification for certain positions include; Shell, BP (British Petroleum), ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Chevron, Saudi Aramco, ConocoPhillips, Petrobras, Eni, and Equinox.
Ms Mustafa said she is confident that once the students have been given the tools, they will not just see the opportunities in Uganda but the gulf specifically
“The partnership will give our students and those of IPSK a much broader way to the world and compete internationally; so, l am very excited about this MoU and excited for the two institutions to work together for the good of our students.
“The MoU that has just been signed between BIP and the IPSK mainly contains an understanding of our relationship in the future and how we can work together, not just for the sake of our students, but for the sake of our staff, too,” Ms Mustafa said.
She added: “OPITO being not just an international awarding body, but a Scottish oil and gas awarding body, has very, very stringent standards; most centres in the world require minimum of one year for approvals to take effect, but we (in BIP) already have international standards, so it took us around six months to procure the approvals,” she said.
The signing was witnessed by IPSK Registrar, Ms Catherine Babalanda, and BIP Senior Coordinator, Ms Winnie Kobusingye.
