04 Feb TAHLYA 2018 begins at MEDRC
February 4th, 2018: MEDRC Water Research welcomed 37 young Omani’s through the doors of their training facility, for the first day of their TAHLYA vocational training program. MEDRC operate a state of the art training facility at their HQ’s in Al Hail, Muscat. This has enabled them to take up the role of a national and regional desalination and water reuse training hub where they supply all levels of water training and consultancy.
TAHLYA seeks to train young Omani nationals in reverse osmosis desalination technologies. More than 1750 applicants competed for the 75 numbers on offer for this BP sponsored initiative. The program aims to create a pool of skilled and employable labor in desalination within Oman and will help to meet the labor requirements of the countries fast evolving desalination sector. Eng. Riadh Dridi, Head of Training at MEDRC Water Research said of the program, “The desalination industry is rapidly expanding and it needs talented Omanis to drive it forward”.
Conducted at MEDRC’s training facility, Al Hail, Muscat, training is split into two distinct levels; Operator Training and Supervisor Training. Candidates with a Bachelor’s Degree were eligible to be selected for the Supervisor course while a diploma was a prerequisite for the Operators course. The 37 trainees starting are comprised of 15 students training to be Operators and 22 training to be Supervisors. The curriculum is delivered using a three-tiered developmental approach. Students receive; classroom training providing the theory of desalination; practical hands on training at MEDRC’s own pilot training plant and an observational Internship at an operating desalination plant. This approach will provide students with a strong academic and practical education and build a familiarity with real scale plants and procedures.
MEDRC has a firm commitment to ensure that trainees under this project have the skills to join the labor market. With major new desalination plants expected to come on line by 2019 to meet the demand for potable water, there will be a need for experienced Omani’s to run them. MEDRC work closely with members of the desalination sector to ensure that TAHLYA graduates have the skills and capacity to help the sector achieve its in-country value objectives.Aside from building technical skills and expertise, the program also provides personal development and character building opportunities for students. Last year’s students were lucky enough to experience Outward Bound Oman motivational and leadership workshops and a financial literacy workshop facilitated by Youth Vision.
MEDRC are proud and honored to be partnering once again with BP who are sponsoring the TAHLYA program and look forward to building on the success of 2017.