Africa-Press – Uganda. The Institute of Petroleum Studies Kampala (IPSK) and Busoga International Polytechnic (BIP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will see the former’s students get practical knowledge about the oil and gas industry.
Founded in 2013, IPSK is a private other degree awarding institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the energy and management realm.
The IPSK Principal, Mr James Mugerwa, signed on behalf of his institute, 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 for the Ugandan market, but also for the international market,” Mr Mugerwa said on Tuesday, 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 their 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.
BIP, a partnership between the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Busoga Kingdom, was commissioned in September 2021 by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni, to train and provide learners, especially in Busoga Sub-region, with specialised skills.
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, I 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: “We believe that only through cooperation and sharing of our experiences and resources we can grow together; so, the MoU envelopes two sides: for us to be the provider of OPITO programmes for all petroleum institute students and for a stronger union between both institutions.”
Ms Mustafa further explained that BIP was granted approval of OPITO at the end of January 2024 “after a lot of work”.
“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.
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