A total of 170 young graduates have benefitted from the NCDMB/PETAN/SPDC JV Graduate Internship programme, New Telegraph reports.

According to a statement issued on Monday by the Media Relations Manager, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, (SPDC), Gladys Afam-Anadu, the beneficiaries were attached to indigenous technical oilfield service companies in the upstream and downstream sectors for hands-on experience.

She added that some 133 of the interns have been employed by the companies indicating the success of the programme as a talent pipeline for the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

According to her, the latest batch of 49 intakes graduated at a ceremony in Port Harcourt early this month after completing their internship which began in 2022.

Speaking at the ceremony, the  Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Wole Ogunsanya, commended the SPDC Joint Venture for the support for the programme which it is helping to build local manpower for a critical sector of the economy.

“SPDC and PETAN had jointly set up the programme in 2014 whereby young graduates are attached to the over 100 member companies of the organisation with SPDC paying them monthly stipends.

“From 2022 when the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) joined the collaboration, the programme has run for two years with 100 intakes.

“The NCDMB/PETAN/SPDC JV Graduate Internship programme has been lauded as a key human capital development initiative which is central to the promotion of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry,” Afam-Anadu.

SPDC’s General Manager Nigerian Content, ‘Lanre Olawuyi, said: “The internship is more than a learning opportunity. It provides fresh graduates with technical expertise, equipping them with the practical skills needed to excel in their careers. It aligns with SPDC’s broader educational initiatives, contributing significantly to the actualisation of the UNESCO ‘Education for All’ agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta.

“We owe the success of the programme to the untiring support of our JV partners, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC,) TotalEnergies and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited for which we’re grateful.”