SPM™ Oil & Gas, a Caterpillar company, announced today that 12 local Iraqis apprentices have successfully completed its accredited Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO) Apprenticeship program. SPM Oil & Gas is the only company in Iraq accredited by OPITO to offer Levels 1 and 2 Training as well as Apprenticeships.
SPM Oil & Gas’ OPITO-accredited programs ensure the availability of an in-country, technically skilled, knowledgeable and safety-conscious workforce for the energy industry. The OPITO programs are open to oil and gas companies across the Gulf region to help them fulfill nationalization goals by providing local nationals the skills required to attain technically advanced electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, controls maintenance and operations positions. In addition to its OPITO-accredited curriculum, SPM Oil & Gas also provides leadership development and English-language training.
The cohort of 12 apprentices includes the first female local national OPITO Apprenticeship graduate in Iraq. All apprentices are actively employed in engineering-driven, skilled roles.
SPM Oil & Gas is a model of nationalization goal achievement, as 63 percent of the company’s workforce in Iraq is comprised of local national men and women engaged in technical, skilled positions. SPM Oil & Gas has delivered more than 63% combined internal and external training hours to local nationals since 2018 for oil and gas companies in the region.
“SPM Oil & Gas’ OPITO-accredited programs deliver unparalleled local content and training that positively impacts oil and gas companies as well as local Iraqis in the region,” said Ronan Le Gloahec, president – Eastern Hemisphere for SPM Oil & Gas. “We are pleased to train the next generation of local national Iraqi women and men in the technical fields the oil and gas industry demands. We congratulate our 12 Apprenticeship graduates and look forward to the positive impact they will make on local oil and gas businesses and their communities.”
