3 September,2011, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC’s) strategy to develop manpower for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is overseas scholarships, according to the company’s managing director, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu.
He disclosed this at the award/farewell ceremony for the ten 2011 beneficiaries of the Anglo/Dutch oil giant’s Niger Delta Postgraduate Scholarship scheme at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.
Sunmonu said the scheme, started last year, was designed by the SPDC to give talented students from the three Niger Delta coastal states of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers an opportunity to further their education in the United Kingdom universities in fields relevant to the oil and gas industry.
The managing director, who was represented by Shell’s Human Resources Manager, Charles Gbandi, stated that the one-year Master’s degree programmes hold at the prestigious University College, London; Imperial College, London and University of Leeds.
He assured that the SPDC would recruit the beneficiaries of the overseas scholarship schemes if they excel in their studies and demonstrate the right skills to beat the competition and win placements in Shell.
The courses comprise Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum Geoscience, Petroleum Geophysics, Engineering Geology, Chemical Process Engineering, Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Exploration Geophysics and Oilfield Corrosion Engineering.
According to Sunmonu, the scheme covers tuition fees, return flight and living expenses based on annual British Council rates, while potential beneficiaries must possess a minimum of Second Class Upper in Bachelor’s Degree and confirmed admissions for the specified courses.
“Support for education is just one aspect of SPDC’s investments in the Niger Delta. SPDC considers education an important aspect of its social responsibility investment,” he said.
