OPITO is to play a major role in helping Cyprus to become a regional centre of technical excellence for oil and gas in the Eastern Mediterranean. Following discussions with senior Cypriot government officials, the global oil and gas skills body inaugurated a new office in Cyprus 22 April 2015 in the presence of the British High Commissioner for Cyprus, D R Todd.
The Eastern Mediterranean is considered a new energy frontier with an estimated 122 trillion cubic feet of gas in the area. With additional exploration on the horizon and neighbouring countries such as Israel, Lebanon and Egypt marking their own offshore territories, Cyprus is an emerging oil and gas hub for the region.
Photo courtesy of OPITO International
OPITO will help develop the necessary technical skills required in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons and create a safety-training infrastructure to ensure that workers are trained to the best standards that ensure they get to work offshore and return home safely.
The organisation will also roll out many of the skills initiatives and tools tried and tested in the UK. It will also work closely with education, government and academia in Cyprus to generate awareness of the opportunities in the emerging oil and gas sector, increase the uptake of STEM subjects at schools and ensure university education is aligned with specific job roles in oil and gas and provide training to transfer existing skills among Cypriots into those needed in oil and gas.
