Aktau Training Centre

Aktau Training Centre LLP (ATC) trains personnel to international standard for work in the oil and gas industry. ATC was founded as a company in 2006, with RKK, the Nursultan Nazarbayev Education Foundation (NNEF) and others as shareholders.

Aktau Training Centre (ATC) up and running

Aktau Training Centre (ATC) is now up and running and welding training is taking place in two shifts.The centre has entered into a formal "Road Map" contract for 2009 and 2010. In 2009 about 100 persons will be certificated and in 2010 the number covered by this contract will be over 500. Additional orders have come in for a large number of persons from private companies.

You will find a presentation about Aktau Training Centre (ATC) here.

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Labour visits ATC

The Kazakhstani Minister of Labour, Ms.Abdukalikova Gulshara Naushaevna, paid an official visit on 5 June to the Aktau Training Centre (ATC). The Deputy Mayor of Mangistau, Mr. Karaev Zhaumbay Amanturlievich, was among the visitors.

The Minister of Labour was very pleased with what she saw and made favourable reference to her visit to ATC during the later part of her visit to the Mangistau region. ATC was set up with the aim of providing training at a high international level to meet the needs of the authorities and industry and therefore appreciated this positive response.

Norwegian Ambassador to Kazakhstan visits ATC

Prior to the Kazakhstani government’s visit, the Norwegian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Dag M. Halvorsen, paid a visit to ATC. Ambassador Halvorsen expressed his pleasure with the Norwegian-Kazakhstan collaboration which has been on-going for a number of years and of which ATC is a part.

The Kazahkstani National Welding Championship at ATC, Aktau, April 2009

The Kazahkstani National Welding Championship competition was held at ATC – Aktau Training Centre – on 23-24 April 2009. The 16 competitors came from all regions of the country. The competition was organised by The Ministry of Education and Science in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The winners will go on to compete in a national competition in Germany in May 2009 and an international competition in autumn 2009.

ATC made the practical arrangements for the championships and emphasised the HES aspect. ATC provided the necessary venues, tools and equipment, electrodes, test pieces etc. ATC also assisted members of the jury and acted as adviser.

The competition maintained a high level and ATC was applauded for its efficient organisation of the event

• Overall winner (champion) - student from Almaty
• 1st place - student from Pavlodar
• 2nd place shared by students from Aktau and Shymkent
• 3rd place shared by students from KysyLorda, Almaty oblast and Karaganda

We congratulate the winners and wish the participants good luck in the next rounds.

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All construction work, training of instructors and procurement of equipment is now complete. Training of the first adult students starts in April.

Sometime in 2009 there will be an inauguration ceremony to mark the official opening of the centre. Representatives from NNEF and Akimat of Mangistau Oblast will attend and the Kazakhstani Minister of Education and the Norwegian Ambassador to Kazakhstan have also been invited. The centre will be visited by the President of Kazakhstan in August 2009.

ATC is a unique model for collaboration between the public authorities, industry and both Kazakhstani and international educational institutions.
In addition to joint planning and agreements with Kazahstani and international industry and state authorities on training requirements and programmes, we can point to:

• Training in accordance with international programmes and standards, based on international best practice.
• Independent international certification regime established in cooperation with DNV (Det norske VERITAS (www.dnv.com)
• Joint approach within the general context of state vocational training systems, local schools and authorities
• ATC instructors who are Kazahstani nationals, trained in Norway and certified by DNV (www.dnv.com)

Benefits of the ATC concept:

• Training of workforce personnel in accordance with international requirements and modern qualifications
• Training to meet industry needs
• Simple, cost-effective use of market-oriented services in preference to establishing separate in-house training departments or importing foreign labour
• nternational certification of personnel
• Model for public-private partnership between state authorities, industry and training organisations
• Support for the development of local content

ATC owns 5000 m2 of property and the centre comprises workshops, classrooms for theory courses and computer training and offices. The centre is fully equipped with a complete set of machines produced by ESAB and others for training in the various subject areas. There are also conference rooms and locker/changing rooms with showers and toilets. There are separate facilities for men and women divided between the 4 locker rooms , each of which can take 50 people at a time.

The centre will serve both the private and public sector and aims to offer services to regional authorities, contractor and oil companies such as KazMunayGaz, McDermot and Agip KCO. These organisations, together with a range of local players, have shown great interest in the training programme offered at ATC.

The ATC company shareholders are:

• Nursultan Nazarbayev Educational Foundation (NNEF)
• Akimat of Mangistau oblast
• RKK Norwegian Foundation
• KGNT Engineering Company

ATC ’s partners are Aker Solutions, StatoilHydro and KazMunayGaz