You know, at first glance, this looks like another big government training program. 10,000 people… oil and gas… But when you dig into why this is happening and how they chose the skills, you realise this isn’t a “nice-to-have” initiative. It’s a data-driven, almost military-style response to a massive economic problem.
The NCDMB just found the industry’s secret “cheat code,” and they’re using it to train an army. So, how did the NCDMB (Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board) decide on these 10 specific skills? It wasn’t a random guess. They used a brilliant piece of data: Expatriate Quota applications.
Let’s break that down.
- What’s an “Expatriate Quota”? It’s a formal request that an oil and gas company (like Shell, Total, or their big contractors) must file with the government. It’s a form that basically says, “We need to hire a foreigner for this specific, high-level job because we cannot find a single qualified Nigerian to do it.”
For years, these applications have been piling up. But the NCDMB’s new boss, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe didn’t just see a pile of paperwork. He saw a shopping list. That pile of forms is a perfect, data-rich map of the exact skill gaps in the entire Nigerian oil and gas industry. The oil companies themselves were literally telling the government what they couldn’t find.
So, the NCDMB took this “cheat code,” cross-referenced it with feedback from industry groups like PETAN and OPTS, and built a training program to create exactly the people the industry is begging for.
The Mission: The “Field Readiness” Program
This is where the “Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Program” comes in. It’s an aggressive, 2-to-3-year plan to create over 10,000 specialists.
The goal isn’t just to hand out certificates. It’s to make Nigerians “field-ready,” meaning they can walk onto a rig, an FPSO, or a sub-sea vessel and be genuinely qualified for the job. This entire program is backed by the NOGICD Act of 2010, specifically Section 10(1b), which is the law that says Nigerians must get “first consideration” for training and employment. This program is the NCDMB putting legal muscle behind that mandate.
And the timing is no accident. This is happening now because a “surge in new oil and gas investments” is finally here. After years of delays, massive new projects are getting their Final Investment Decisions (FIDs). This is Shell’s $2 billion HI Field gas project, TotalEnergies’ $550 million Ubeta project, and the $5 billion Bonga North project.
The NCDMB is in a race. They know if they don’t produce these skilled workers now, this new multi-billion-dollar wave of jobs will, by default, go to expatriates.
The 10 “Future-Proof” Skills
This isn’t the old-school “Roughneck 101.” Look at the 10 skills they chose. This list tells you exactly where the industry is heading: deep water and high tech.
- The “Deep Blue” Jobs: This is the high-value stuff.
- Sub-sea Engineering: We’re talking about the “Christmas trees,” wellheads, and robotics on the actual ocean floor.
- Underwater Welding: One of the toughest, most specialised, and highest-paid skilled jobs in the world.
- The “Digital Rig” Jobs: This shows the shift from brawn to brains.
- Control & Automation: These are the people who run the complex control rooms, operating the rig and well systems from a screen.
- Digitisation (AI, ML, IoT, Drones, etc.): The industry is moving to AI for finding new oil, using drones for pipeline inspection, and IoT sensors for “preventive maintenance.” They’re training the data scientists for the oil field.
- The “High-Stakes Logistics” Jobs:
- Helicopter Piloting: You can’t get to an offshore rig without one. It’s a vast, expensive gap.
- Seafaring: This means running the advanced vessels, from mechanics to electricians, that service the offshore platforms.
- The “Core & Quality” Jobs:
- Production & Maintenance: The day-to-day operators.
- QA/QC (NDT Levels 1-3): “Non-Destructive Testing.” These are the experts who use X-rays and ultrasound to find tiny cracks in pipelines before they cause a disaster.
- Geoscience Engineering: The “explorers” who find the oil and gas in the first place.
How to Get In
So, how do you apply? This is the most critical part for any young Nigerian. The entire process runs through one single portal: the NOGIC JQS (Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System).
- What is the NOGIC JQS? You should think of it as the official, mandatory portal for the entire Nigerian oil and gas industry. It’s not optional.
- By law (the NOGICD Act), this portal is the “sole system” for pre-qualifying companies and the “industry databank” for all available Nigerian skills.
- If you are a Nigerian looking for a job in the sector or a company looking to hire, you must be on this portal.
This training program is using that portal as its registration base.
Here’s the process:
- Who can apply? Nigerians under 35 with an OND, HND, or BSc in fields like Engineering (Petroleum, Mechanical, Electrical, etc.), Geology, Computer Science, or other science fields.
- Go to the Portal:
httpsAccess://nogicjqs.gov.ng - New Users: You have to create a new account, build your profile, and upload your academic records. Then you can register for the training.
- Existing Users: If you’re already on JQS but your profile is thin, you must update it with all your records before you can register. If your profile is complete, you can log in and register directly.
This isn’t just a training program. It’s a strategic move to build a local workforce for the next 30 years of the industry, not the last 30. And it’s all being driven by the industry’s own data.
