Petrofac Training Services and ESI International Announce Courses for Petrofac Project Management Academy

Singapore. August 12, 2014 –  Training Services, part of Petrofac, the international service provider to the oil and gas industry, and , the world’s leading project management training company, which recently collaborated to establish the Petrofac Project Management Academy (PPMA), today announced the Oil & Gas Project Performance Courses. The six specialised courses for 2014, namely Supervisors: Introduction to Project Management, Managing Oil and Gas Projects, Scheduling and Cost Control, Managing Contracts, Risk Management andProject Leadership, Management and Communications, have been created specifically to enhance the skillsets of oil and gas professionals and improve overall organisational performance.

“Today’s oil and gas projects demonstrate increased complexity by their very nature, as characterised by the overall scale and processes. PPMA’s methodology of providing high-quality training with a project management focus will provide participants an opportunity to leverage techniques and processes to enhance their knowledge for effective estimation, planning and management,” said Paul Jones, Petrofac Training Services Country Manager for Singapore. “Through the customised curriculum and uniquely tailored offerings, PPMA endeavours to empower the participants in taking holistic control of a project.”

“Effectively managing costs, contracts and risks, in addition to scheduling and project implementation, are some of the key tasks that entail in the current oil and gas landscape,” said Raed S. Haddad, Managing Director for Asia Pacific, ESI International. “Specialised training is a necessary conduit to get a complete grasp of the myriad concepts of the project and handle the finer points. These courses, which include interactive case studies, discussions and exercises, have been created to meticulously address each aspect and develop the next generation of oil and gas professionals.”

The Supervisors: Introduction to Project Management course programme will enable participants to focus on defining, organising, planning, tracking and managing a project. The course includes dynamic presentations, exercises and extensive laboratory work using ‘live’ (actual) projects which will assist project managers develop effective project management skills while generating immediately useful project information.

Course participants will learn how to describe roles and responsibilities of project team members across the project life cycle, define and develop the foundations of a project management plan, including the project requirements document, work breakdown structure, schedule, and other resources, assist with management and control of the project against the baseline and close out a project effectively, over the 2-day programme.

The Managing Oil and Gas Projects course programme aims at providing the foundation, techniques and tools to manage each stage of the project lifecycle, work within organisational and cost constraints, set goals tied directly to stakeholder needs, get the most out of the project management team, and utilise state-of-the-art project management tools to get the work done on time and within budget.

Course participants will gain knowledge on oil and gas facility (oil sands) shutdown and turnaround scenario utilised for case study, exercises and discussions, how to use essential project management tools and techniques and apply fundamental principles, describe project manager roles and responsibilities across the project lifecycle, define and develop the foundations of a project plan, manage and control of the project against baseline and close out a project effectively, over the 3-day programme.

The Scheduling and Cost Control course programme puts focus on managing the constraints professionals may face in any project with regard to limitations on time, human resources, materials, budget and specifications. This programme will enable participants to discover proven ways to work within their identified constraints, without letting pre-defined limits curtail creativity or innovation.

Course participants will gain knowledge on how to use the work breakdown structure to develop a network diagram, calculate the schedule and cost estimates using programme evaluation and review technique (PERT) and critical path method (CPM), and monitor changes and close out projects on time, over the 4-day programme.

The Managing Contracts course programme aims to provide project managers, contract managers and professionals related to contractual work with the right tools to effectively work with customers, contractors and subcontractors to accomplish key organisational objectives. This course offers a solid understanding of the contracting process to provide an advantage from both the buyer’s and seller’s side.

Course participants will learn how to identify contract components and understand the process entirely, select the appropriate contract type as per the project, decipher contract legalese, apply rules of contract interpretation in project disputes, negotiate and administer, over the 3-day programme.

The Risk Management course programme is designed to equip project managers and professionals with the right tools to examine threat and opportunity from both a top-down and bottom-up approach using ESI’s proven eight-step risk management process.

Course participants, by using effective tools, including ESI’s highly-regarded risk assessment model, will learn how to evaluate and respond to risk at the project and task levels, over the 3-day programme.

The Project Leadership, Management and Communications course programme is intended to equip project managers with the essential business skills to help complement their technical competencies in project management, including leadership, management and communication skills which are vital for success when progressing to a management role.

Course participants will learn how to lead project teams through effective communications, identify motivational value systems to improve productivity and cooperation, as well as to negotiate and lead change, over the 3-day programme.

PPMA will provide the courses at Petrofac’s state-of-the-art training facility (the Chemical Process Technology Centre) in Singapore, or at client premises to minimise downtime.

For further information and to download the brochure, please visit: