MUSCAT: Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), on Sunday, July 3, signed two agreements aimed at supporting the development of human capital and increasing employment opportunities, especially in the education sector.

The company signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation to support 150 full scholarships for the academic year 2022-23 within the framework of the scholarship programmes for local community members in the company’s concession area.

The agreement was signed by Her Excellency Prof. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, and Steve Famester, General Manager of Petroleum Development Oman.

The programme will allow graduates of the General Education Diploma to choose the specialisations they wish to study according to their interests. This will provide them with a monthly allowance throughout the period of their studies to obtain a bachelor’s degree, which may extend to five years. It should be noted that more than 1,700 students have benefited from this programme since its inception.

The company also signed another agreement with the Ministry of Education and the University of Technology and Applied Sciences to sponsor 20 academic seats for graduates of the General Education Diploma, qualifying them for teaching positions in their regions.

The agreement was signed by His Excellency Majid bin Saeed Al-Bahri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Administrative and Financial Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Saeed bin Hamad Al-Rubaie, President of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, and Steve Fimster, Director General of Petroleum Development Oman.

This initiative provides scholarships to study educational disciplines for a period of four years within the “Tawteen” programme, and the company has so far funded 285 seats out of 500 since the program was launched in 2016.