With the recent commissioning of different industrial companies, many people are needed to operate production facilities in the Port of Sohar.
Industry’s demand is to have a locally and regionally available workforce, educated and trained in the latest developments and technologies. And this is exactly what IMCO provides.
IMCO is a new college in the Sultanate of Oman providing education and high-end training in the fields of shipping, port, transport, logistics and petrochemical process industries. It is a joint venture between the Government of Oman (70 per cent) and the STC Group, The Netherlands (30 per cent).
The establishment of IMCO is regarded as a prestigious project. Being the only maritime, transport and process college in the GCC region, a challenging opportunity is now becoming a reality. With the backing of the STC Group (with education and training institutes in the Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam) success is ensured.
Being a partner and having more than 25 years of experience, the STC Group mainly provides all necessary knowledge and know-how. Within five years the IMCO target is to be known as a Centre of Excellence within the GCC region. People can and will be trained at both operational and managerial level.
The Port of Sohar is blessed with investments up to $10 billion with which a whole new industrial complex is being constructed. IMCO has obtained a unique plot of 10 hectares on the rim of the industrial area.
What has IMCO to offer?
IMCO offers degree, diploma and short courses. The following degree and diploma courses are provided: Operational Technology (petrochemical process industries); Deck Officer (nautical); Marine Engineer; Shipping, Port and Transport Management.
Both the deck officer and marine engineer courses prepare the students for a career at sea. The shipping, port and transport management and operational technology courses prepare the students for a career onshore. All degree programmes consist of four years. Students must also take a traineeship course for one year. This is included in the four years.
To date, 168 students follow the foundation programme. This is a pre-degree course year with duration of one year. During the foundation programme students improve their English skills as well as taking lessons in mathematics and basic chemistry and physics.
The total capacity for degree course students only will reach 800 when the college facilities are completed.
IMCO offers short courses in the fields of: Shipping management and operations; Shipping and offshore safety training; Ports; Transport and Logistics; Petrochemical process industry.
Upon request tailor-made short courses can be organised within your company or at one of our facilities. Amongst others, IMCO already conducted courses for C Steinweg Oman, Lamnalco, OICT and Oiltanking Odfjell Terminals & Co LLC.
The job of IMCO is to work with companies and students in GCC countries, and to add knowledge, skills and therewith value to the maritime and petrochemical Industries. It is these skills, which will be very useful to the many private enterprises now participating in industrial complexes in the GCC region, and in Sohar Port in particular.
On the other hand, the shipping industry needs added value as well to flourish commercially. IMCO is able to provide the tools to enable the (future) workforce to add value needed to the industries.
Students are not only instructed in classes; there is also great emphasis on practical training, like working on simulators. These simulators can create conditions and situations which are similar to those you will find in real life situations, either in port or at sea.
Latest development
In order to reduce the gap between the experienced operator and a recently certified student the STC Group developed, configured and tested real Process Units.
With the units students and course participants can be trained in the operations of plant components and related activities.
People already active in refineries, the chemical industry or power plants can be further educated and trained to operate and maintain complicated technical systems used within their working environment.
In May 2006, IMCO received the first out of four unique Process Units – Unit 300. All Units will use different host systems including the latest (Foundation Fieldbus) technology.
Prospects
How about the prospects after having completed one of the studies with IMCO?
Firstly, the sector with the biggest demand for skilled employees: petrochemical process industries. In less than three years from now a huge shortage of a specialised workforce is expected in the Gulf region; the number of more than 50,000 people is already mentioned. This is the result of the massive ongoing investments in the oil, gas and chemical Industries in Oman - Industrial Complex in the Port of Sohar and developments in Sur – plus other centres in the Gulf like Jebel Ali and Jubail.
Secondly, the shipping, port and transport industries are also facing major shortages, world wide as well as regionally.
According to recent studies it is estimated that, due to the continuing growth of the number of ships in the world, demand for qualified seafarers will at least continue to increase over the next decades. If the demand is translated into figures, a shortage of more than 25,000 seafarers is expected.
Oman Shipping Company and Qatar Gas (Nakilat) are just two examples of fast growing shipping lines in the Middle East Region and Arab seafarers can play an important roll within five years as well.
