PTDF Graduates 400 Welding Trainees

The Petroleum Technol
ogy Development Fund (PTDF)  graduated 400 welding trainees from the Welders Training and Certification Programme.
The Executive Secretary of  PTDF, Mr Femi Ajayi,  said during the graduation ceremony in Port Harcourt,  that the training was part of Federal Government’s local content development initiative.
He said that the programme sought to meet the nation’s move to produce fabricators and welders who would meet growing demand for skilled manpower for the nation’s industry needs.
“Graduating trainees who went through a rigorous training exercise will improve the nation’s welding and fabrication capacity to globally acceptable standards.
“PTDF will continue to train a sizable number of Nigerians to enable the programme actualise its set objectives,” he said.
Ajayi said that several Nigerians had benefitted from the programme with many taking up skilled jobs and roles in the oil and gas industry.
Responding, the President of Nigeria Institute of Welding (NIW), Dr Solomon Edebiri, while commending PTDF, described welding as the bedrock of engineering.
He said that analysis conducted in 2001 and 2002 identified a huge skilled-gap in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
“This short fall of skilled workers necessitated a short term target of training 2,600 competent welders to provide local manpower in the oil and gas sector,” he said.
Some beneficiaries of the training exercise who commended the programme sponsors, called on the Federal Government to come up with more programmes to accommodate more youths.