Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO) will aim to create 4,000 jobs per year as part of its new five-year business plan
Raoul Restucci, managing director of PDO, said, "We have to continuously find and invest in the best talent and technology to discover and recover gas and review the entire supply chain to make sure the exploration and development process is more economical."
"For PDO, this means not only complying with increasingly more stringent health, safety and environment (HSE) rules and regulations but also achieving and retaining a social license from the communities where we operate.
"We need, and want, their consent to operate and this means investing in vital infrastructure, education, vocational training, and job creation in those areas," he added.
PDO has developed an in-country value strategy, which involves supporting local community companies, increasing the procurement of local goods and services and improving the capacity and capability of the Omani people and businesses. This would, in turn, secure long-term sustainable commercial benefits, the company said.
“As part of this strategy, we have also implemented a comprehensive social investment programme with a particular focus on training to help low-income individuals and families in our concession area to build their own businesses or secure meaningful employment,” Restucci commented.
Restucci claimed that in order to sustain the progression in the gas sector, the government needed to provide a stable political and economic environment and workable labour laws. A modern infrastructure and a sound educational and training system to produce the new generation of technical talent is also required, he added.
