Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, November 28, 2015
A consortium of companies working on the development of the Karachaganak oil and gas field is the largest employer in the region. In the field next stage of the nationalization of staff is successfully implemented and local content consistently increases.
Well-paid job by occupation is valued at all times and especially in times of economic instability. Field industry is a huge and technically complex production. For example, last year 142.5 million barrels of liquid hydrocarbons were recovered, and the level of produced gas can be equated to the achievements of world level. Human resources policy applied by Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. Company is a set of measures providing the replacement by highly qualified local specialists of their foreign colleagues. For this purpose, a selection system of the most honest and prospective employees was developed, which are able to grow and rise from the ranks. Healthy careerism is only to be welcomed here. The first program of the nationalization of staff was successfully completed. At present, next one is applied, which provides the gradual replacement of expatriate personnel by 2020.
According to the words of the manager of training and development of staff Elena Zemlyanskaya, for today all office employees at KPO are local staff. Engineers and technical workers are replaced for 96%, as well as mid-level specialists and skilled workers. The share of the first leaders and heads of structural units is 79%. But this is not the limit. The applied model of increase of the number of local staff is directly connected with the main strategy of the company development. It provides not the mechanical replacement, but effective professional growth, realization of abilities of employees, which are aimed not only at personal but also a common, collective success.
— Being a world-class company, Karachaganak is committed to high standards of industrial safety, labor and environmental protection, stable development and increasing the number of local staff, — Elena Zemlyanskaya explains. — In order to ensure these constant and rigorous requirements, a high level of professionalism and competence of the staff is necessary. For the exploration and operation of the Karachaganak field thousands of skilled employees are required. KPO has invested in the training of Kazakhstani specialists more than 178 million dollars. During the study international experience of consortium partners, own resources, the potential of prestigious and famous universities are used.
The field is equipped with the most modern equipment, which can be entrusted only to skilled hands. The staff is replenished with new employees. Before they start to work, they learn skills that allow them to adapt to the high requirements of the company.
With the experience compatible with international standards, KPO provides to the local staff the opportunity to receive high-quality knowledge for free. Training is conducted across many fronts. This is the development of technical expertise, business skills and management qualities. In Aksai, the administrative center of the field, a training center operates, in which not only employees of KPO, but also a significant part of the personnel of contractors undergo training. Education is most often carried out on the job. The combination of theory and practice gives significant advantages. As it is known, this approach is the basis of the dual training. Modern technologies are used in the training center. At the same time the program includes not only subjects teaching professional skills, but also subjects forming the team work skills, to analyze the information and correlate it with the tasks. That is, acting upon instructions, specialist at the same time aims to achieve better results. Any professional training includes complex and stepwise training of skills of safe work that do not harm the environment.
The mentoring program is also effectively used at KPO, when workers with high professional skills transmit their experience to newcomers or younger generation. According to the words of Elena Zemlyanskaya, specialists of the department of training and development of staff help to adjust and analyze the results of such cooperation. The psychological compatibility, factor of trust and authority of the teacher are considered. Only when all these conditions coincide study becomes A conscious creative process which is based on the principle “know how to do yourself — teach other.” In addition, work of young employees in tandem with experienced ones virtually eliminates conflict situations. This creates a good moral and ethical climate that is extremely important in any team.
For more than 10 years, KPO supports students of Kazakh universities studying oil and gas industry specialties. During the internship a reconciliation of interests takes place and a simultaneous selection of applicants for the provision of a permanent job. To increase the qualification level educational grants are allocated to employees of the company and their children. As a rule, students studying KPO specialties receive international certificates that are trusted worldwide. Thus, experts on contracts and logistic support studying at the British Institute of Purchasing and Supply, managers — at the British Institute of Management and Leadership, financiers and accountants receive diplomas of the British Institute of Management Accounting. Professionalism of employees of departments of safety and environmental protection is confirmed by the certificates of National Expert Commission on industrial safety and labor protection. Operators of mining and equipment are examined in accordance with the standards developed by the OPITO Organization of training of oil industry specialists. That is, a program to increase content of local staff provides training and retraining of staff of all professions that are involved at the Karachaganak field. It is estimated that during the work of the consortium about 300 thousand people were trained. Thus, all KPO employees are well aware that you need to prove yourself with deeds constantly and every day. Occupation in such area as oil and gas cannot be given once and for all. It requires more and more quality knowledge, and therefore, continuous learning and improving qualification.
Another important component of increase of the domestic content is the development of local suppliers of goods and services. KPO is one of the first companies in the country, which has successfully implemented a program aimed at the implementation of projects to support the Kazakhstan enterprises. It is envisaged to learn by them advanced technologies meeting international standards, cooperate with foreign companies and establish joint ventures. The exploration of subsoil of Karachaganak involves over 3 thousand Kazakhstan enterprises and firms, received orders worth more than 4 billion dollars. As a result, the share of Kazakhstan content in KPO contracts for supplying of goods, works and services is close to 50%.
This year, at the forum on Kazakhstan content, organized by akimat of West Kazakhstan region, cooperation agreements were signed with nine domestic companies, which will serve the development of local potential of the industrial sector and service clusters of West Kazakhstan. Between PSA LLP, the regional akimat and the Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. Company a trilateral memorandum was signed on the implementation of social and infrastructure projects in the near Urals and Burlin areas during 2015-2017 for the amount of 90 million dollars. And for the implementation of projects aimed at social reconstruction of the region, only the Kazakh construction companies are involved. Another important fact: The work on economic and technical assessment of the “Karachaganak Expansion Project” is over. This means that the KPO is doing task of preserving jobs given by the President Nursultan Nazarbayev and it is expected to create new ones.
Author: Lyudmila KORINA, West Kazakhstan region
