ABERDEEN, Scotland, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Petrotechnics, the global leader in transforming frontline performance and improving operational risk in the energy industry, has announced a partnership with the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) to create sustainable safety training solutions for offshore workers in the region.

Petrotechnics and UTT will select and train local Trinidadians in general operational safety protocols as well as its own operational safety courses. This will form the basis for a self-sufficient, sustainable and cost effective delivery model for oil and gas organisations in the local area.

It is believed that by enabling local accredited safety training instructors, UTT could help operators in the region to save up to 40% on current operational safety training costs.

Once completed, UTT will be accredited to deliver Petrotechnics’ courses and the university will undergo annual reaccreditation of its training and facilities to ensure that high standards are maintained in the delivery of the courses.

A groundbreaking programme, it represents the first time Petrotechnics has accredited a third party organisation to deliver its services and is the first step in wider strategy to develop accredited centres across the globe with the first four graduates of the programme expected in the summer of next year.

In addition to attaining qualifications to deliver the HITRA (Hazard Identification and Task Risk Assessment) and ISSOW (Intergrated Safe System of Work), graduates will be invited to return and train the next generation in operational safety creating sustainability in the area.
Although courses and graduates will be available any company in the region, BP Trinidad and Tobago have a long-term relationship with both Petrotechnics and UTT, and has already committed to have its operational safety training delivered by UTT once its trainers have been accredited by Petrotechnics, which is expected to be December 2012.

Speaking of the partnership, Petrotechnics’ executive vice president Iain Mackay, said: “The partnership with the University of Trinidad and Tobago will create a legacy of self-sufficient training in the region. By helping jumpstart and create an effective training environment, we will transfer our significant skills and knowledge to the local population allowing them manage and deliver a comprehensive safety training program to offshore workers.

“With more than 10 years of experience in delivering training, we are using this to short cut some of the usual challenges in developing and deploying new training facilities. Working with BP Trinidad and Tobago, we have both been able to work with UTT to understand the challenges of relying on support and training from long distances and through our strong relationship we have been able to deliver an effective course for the region.”

Petrotechnics’ Operational Performance & Predictive Risk solutions can enable organisations to intelligently embed, automate and manage its frontline work processes while giving them the means to measure and extract meaningful insight and operational intelligence, providing organisations with confidence that they have the ability to deliver on targets while removing uncertainty around this key area of operational risk.

Over the last 12 years, Petrotechnics has pioneered, proven and successfully helped organisations in hazardous industries increase operational efficiency and improve safety in the riskiest part of their operations. More than 40,000 people at 350 sites in 22 countries in hazardous industries currently use Petrotechnics solutions on a 24×7 basis. Petrotechnics has its headquarters in Aberdeen, UK and offices in Houston, USA, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Russia to support its operations and global customer base.