22 February 2024, Georgetown, Guyana; As the 2024 Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo wrapped up, TOTALTEC CEO Lars Mangal took the opportunity to provide additional thoughts on the panel he participated in, ‘Developing the Workforce of the Future’. What follows are a series of questions posed to Mangal, followed by responses, complimenting some key points made by the panel, in particular by United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot.
Local Content Legislation Strategy and the Workforce of the Future
Q; What connection do you see between your Guyana Energy Expo panel topic of ‘Developing the Workforce of the Future’ and Local Content Legislation?
Mangal began, "The initial 40 categories of work in the Local Content Legislation have been highly successful in growing local businesses. It is the next round of categories that will prove an important step in taking on more technical scope, more important in developing the workforce of the future."
“The Local Content Legislation can be used strategically to accelerate building capacity, both human and industrial, in more challenging, technical areas. This will likely be capacity that not only does not exist in Guyana today, but has almost no foundation on which to build. It may also be a capacity for the energy sector that will prove invaluable for other industries important to Guyana’s future.”
“Consider information technology and the rapidly advancing area of artificial intelligence. Legislation categories could be set to drive Guyanese filling a broad range of IT positions in the international companies, requiring more of that scope to be carried out locally. The skills developed in our workforce will be of great value in multiple areas, away from energy.”
In parallel, establish programs in our training institutions to develop Guyanese with these new skills.
Government, Industry, and Training Institutes Collaborate
Q; What would be an example of how governments, industry, and training institutions can come together in a way to accelerate building the workforce of the future?
“Let me answer how these three come together by proposing potential new business opportunities for Guyanese companies that have likely not been considered. These would not be considered because Guyana has gone from ‘no oil’, to 'deepwater oil' - developing production in the most technically challenging environment in the world. There is no foundation of an energy service sector here to build on.”
“Almost all oil producing countries evolved from land discoveries and production or relatively shallow, benign offshore environments, to - in some cases - deepwater. Such countries developed a local capacity over an extended period, in parallel with the operators moving into more challenging areas, developing new technology along the way.”
"Guyana has no such oil industry foundation to build on. However, there is another way forward, one with great possibilities for local companies."
“Consider looking for technology offerings that are critical to offshore development, but ones that the major international service companies would not consider trying to develop locally. This is because there is little or no foundation for that scope, and - this is very important - limited activity level for a single company.”
“This scope, as seen by a single international service company, would never be considered to develop in Guyana, because the investment cannot be justified. Not only is the scope too small, a competitor might take over the work in future, wiping out any start-up investment.”
"Considering the complete scope of activity offshore Guyana, there may be more than enough to develop a local company and its newly skilled workforce, working across all offshore activity."
“If such a local company were to develop, there would be a ‘level playing field’ for the international service companies, who would collaborate with it. As technology advances globally, it would be brought to Guyana. These competing companies will want to innovate and differentiate themselves, introducing experience from around the world.”
"Such a Guyanese company in a challenging technical scope would certainly be developing members of the workforce of the future."
“The model to develop this in Guyana would be to research a specialized company providing such technology and services in another part of the world, a mature province. Such a company would best be found working in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico. Then create a partnership between that company and one in Guyana.”
Example Technical Services Opportunities
Q; What are examples of such technology and services that a local company could develop in partnership with an international one?
“To get specific on the technologies, certain downhole drilling tools, not the sophisticated logging and geosteering type, could be candidates to manufacture and support locally. Certain downhole well completion equipment, for example sand exclusion technology.”
“Another area is surface piping for well testing, pressure control, and intervention operations. Equipment packages for this scope could be created, maintained and used by a new Guyanese company to provide services offshore.”
“No doubt there are a number of other possibilities.”
Moving Forward - OTC 2024 a Catalyst
"As to how creating such a company is progressed, first identify a suitable work scope, likely in collaboration with ExxonMobil. Research a partner company supporting US Gulf of Mexico deepwater activity. A number of possible companies visited Guyana late last year, hosted by GCCI. The Guyana government would then include this scope in upcoming Local Content Legislation."
“True, this may make it sound too easy. However, every part of the Guyana energy adventure has been fast paced - why not this?”
"This would be an excellent topic for the Guyana delegation attending May's Houston Texas Offshore Technology Conference in May, prepare in advance and develop a plan while there. The workers in a new business such as this would play important roles in Guyana's future, no doubt a number moving beyond energy."
Visit the Guyana Energy event website: https://guyanaenergy.gy/
Visit the TOTALTEC website: https://www.totaltec-os.com/
About TOTALTEC Inc.:
TOTALTEC Inc. is a majority Guyanese owned and operated company focused on building capacity in Guyana in support of the energy industry for the benefit of the country, its people, and partner companies. It does this through services and partnerships that both add value and build capacity. Services include infrastructure development, workforce management, supply chain logistics, training, specialized engineering and consultancy services. Qualified and motivated Guyanese develop through the TOTALTEC Academy, where more than 3,000 have been trained to international standards. Partnerships prioritize products and services that are starting points to grow from, creating Guyanese led companies, for example Jaguar Oilfield Services. Facilities include modular offices/shop/lab fabrication, open yards and storage areas. The TOTALTEC 96% Guyanese workforce includes 6 nationalities with more than 180 years of international oilfield experience. https://www.totaltec-os.com/
