By SHARON UDASIN
11/21/2012
Energy and Water Ministry cooperating with Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry on worker education program.
As the natural gas industry prepares for a great expansion in Israel, government authorities are pushing to create more training programs and generate a wealth of skilled workers in the field.
The Energy and Water Ministry’s Natural Gas Authority and the Vocational Training Division at the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry are collaborating to form a comprehensive training system for such workers.
Recognizing the increased need for certified and skilled professionals as new gas industries develop, the two authorities are calling on public and private training firms, as well as higher education institutions, to run relevant training courses, the Energy and Water Ministry said Tuesday.
The team is in the process of identifying which institutions in particular would be ideal for the training courses, and is only selecting those that have ongoing relationships with international organizations specializing in training natural gas personnel, according to the ministry.
Graduates of the training courses will receive certificates recognized by the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry and will gain permission from the Energy and Water Ministry to work in the country’s natural gas plants.
The Natural Gas Authority and the Vocational Training Division have jointly mapped out some of the principal occupations that will be necessary in the natural gas industry process, from the moment the gas enters the country from an external provider to when it gets to the consumer, according to the Energy and Water Ministry.
The authorities will be ensuring that the highest of academic standards and safety measures apply to the programs, the ministry said.
The training of installers, operators and supervisors will be the first step in the development of this skilled manpower set, according to Osnat Shohat, senior coordinator of the Natural Gas Authority.
Shalom Ben-Moshe, director of training and manpower development at the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry, stated that “we expect to train hundreds of professionals already in the coming year.”
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