The College has held a seminar and workshop for a senior delegation from Iraq. The group visited the Future Skills Centre to discuss the development of the country's four Oil and Gas Training Institutes.
The visit was organised by OPITO and follows the signing of a landmark agreement with the Iraq Ministry for Oil to help the war-torn country develop the skills and training necessary to exploit its hydrocarbon resources.
OPITO, the Scottish based not-for-profit organisation, is wholly owned by the oil and gas industry and responsible for ensuring it has a safe, skilled and competent workforce. With operations in Aberdeen, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, OPITO delivers standards, qualifications and workforce development in over 30 countries.
The Iraqi delegation was made up of nine senior figures from Iraq’s Ministry for Oil along with the deans of the four oil and gas institutes. These institutes, which are located in Basrah, Kirkuk, Baghdad and Tikrit, are at the centre of plans to ensure that the Iraqi population have the skills to benefit from the job opportunities created by the revival of the country's huge oilfields. During the visit, Adam Smith staff shared details of the courses and systems at the centre of their work and were able to show the visitors the exceptional facilities on offer at the Future Skills Centre for engineering, construction, science and renewables training. The Iraqi delegation and senior officials from OPTIO heard about the College’s courses, teaching practices and partnerships with industry as well as having the opportunity to see the facilities on offer in Fife first hand on a tour of the 9,600 square metre Future Skills Centre which opened last year.
David Doig, OPITO Group Chief Executive, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for OPITO and an acknowledgement of the high regard in which our standards are held globally. More importantly this is a major step forward for the people of Iraq, who if they are to successfully re-build their country, must create a safe, sustainable and profitable oil and gas industry. We were delighted that Adam Smith College allowed our Iraq delegation a chance to see what Scotland has to offer.”
Adam Smith principal, Dr Craig Thomson, commented: “It was a real privilege to welcome the group from Iraq. They have a real commitment to rebuilding their country and are obviously doing this in circumstances that continue to be difficult. We are extremely proud of the Future Skills Centre and it is clear that they recognised it as an excellent example to learn from. They were also impressed by the breadth and depth of our work here at Adam Smith College and by our courses and systems. They recognised these as having many elements that could be transferable to meet their own needs. The next step is for our international team and academic staff is to explore practical ways of working alongside OPITO to provide further support to our Iraqi colleagues."