TotalEnergies EP PNG Ltd (TEP PNG) as operator of the Papua LNG Project, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNG Unitech) for a tertiary scholarship program.
The Unitech Scholarship program will be available to third-year students in Electrical, Mechanical, or Civil Engineering, Applied Physics, Communication for Development, Geographical Information Sciences, or a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture beginning in 2024.
The first phase of the program will be open to 25 high-achieving students and will cover full tuition, round-trip airfare, full board and lodging, book allowances, and stipends.
In addition, consideration will be given to students from the project areas in both the Gulf and Central Provinces, which are open to all Papua New Guineans.
This was part of Papua LNG’s National Content strategy to improve the skills and competencies of all Papua New Guineans in order to increase their employability for future projects and contribute to the larger PNG talent pool.
The Project is committed to becoming a significant contributor to the country’s workforce development in accordance with one of three key pillars: Promoting Employment and Training of Papua New Guinean Citizens.
Building on its existing partnership with Unitech, senior executives from TotalEnergies, including Project Management, visited the campus in Lae earlier this August and were given a tour of the school of Engineering, including meetings with the various Department Heads.
Additionally, TEP PNG donated six laptops, Cisco wireless controllers, routers, firewalls, and two VoIP phones to the institution in order to foster this relationship.
Jean-Marc Noiray, Managing Director of TEP PNG, described the event as a watershed moment for both Unitech, as a beacon of higher education, and the Papua LNG project.