GU-747 – Professional Development Guide for Operations – PDO

With the current low oil price scenario, the people challenges for the Operations function and its skill pool have driven PDO to manage the numbers of drastic increases in technicians/operators and graduates being required to accelerate the Omanisation plans to achieve Omanisation target of 90% by 2020, whilst also catering for the projected business growth. More pressure on efficiency and optimization of costs will drive PDO to focus on the impact caused by attritions, growth, vacancies, and the replacement of current expatriates. Resourcing the business, contract extensions, and staff development remains the biggest challenge for PDO Operations Function during the short to medium term.

PDO remains committed to maximizing the availability and productivity of its assets, at optimal cost, with no harm to people or the environment, while safeguarding technical integrity. At the same time, a sufficient number of highly skilled and motivated employees are vital to the achievement of PDO’s objectives and sustaining a high standard of operating and maintaining its facilities. The Operations function has to sustain and ensure that it has the policy and mechanisms in place such that it has a competency-based system to satisfy all of the above. All members of PDO’s Operations skill pool are expected to drive their own development to obtain the range of skills necessary to become a complete Operations professional. In return, PDO will provide the necessary learning and development infrastructure to enable individuals to achieve their career ambitions.

The Operations function and its skill pool member remains the largest in PDO and contains over 3,000 positions from JG 10 to JG1. The structured and planned development of the existing staff in the Operations function plus all the new staff being recruited as part of the technician and graduate intake are governed and subjected to multiple Codes of Practice, Procedures, and Guidelines. These remain the basis of a point of reference for staff, providing an overview of the development process and where to seek further information.