The NCDMB/PETAN/SPDC JV Graduate Internship Programme has provided hands-on industry experience to 170 young Nigerian graduates, helping to bridge the skills gap in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Of the participants, 133 have secured employment with indigenous technical oilfield service companies, underscoring the programme’s effectiveness as a talent pipeline for Nigeria’s upstream and downstream industries.

The latest cohort of 49 interns graduated earlier this month in Port Harcourt after completing a two-year internship that began in 2022.

At the graduation ceremony, Wole Ogunsanya, Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), praised the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) Joint Venture for its ongoing support.

He highlighted the programme’s role in developing local expertise for a sector critical to Nigeria’s economy.

“Since its inception in 2014, the programme has paired young graduates with over 100 PETAN member companies, with SPDC providing monthly stipends.

The partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in 2022 has expanded the programme’s reach, admitting 100 graduates over two years,” Ogunsanya stated.

Shell, in its statement, described the internship as a key human capital development initiative advancing Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.SPDC’s General Manager for Nigerian Content, Lanre Olawuyi, emphasized the broader impact of the programme:

“This internship goes beyond skill-building; it equips graduates with practical expertise essential for career success.

It also aligns with SPDC’s educational initiatives and contributes to the UNESCO ‘Education for All’ agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the Niger Delta.”

Olawuyi expressed gratitude to the programme’s JV partners—the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, TotalEnergies, and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited—for their unwavering support.