KUWAIT CITY, Aug 9: In a surprising outcome, only two applicants passed the aptitude test for field operators, which Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) conducted last week for diploma holders specialized in chemical industries and refinery operations. The test followed a job announcement posted before the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The daily quoting reliable sources in oil sector said KIPIC received the papers of some 200 applicants comprising fresh diploma holders- as part of the employment announcement for field operators, and only 28 applicants passed the English test while 172 failed, and in the technical test, only two applicants passed out of 28.

The same sources lamented the weak educational outputs of diploma holders- especially in the English language, which is a necessary requirement in oil sector and "there is absolutely no substitute for that", noting the company will announce new jobs for field operators in the coming weeks to fill vacancies after obtaining the approval of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).

They said "KIPIC is in a hurry to employ the field operators, especially as the operations in Al-Zour refinery are about to start, and the company needs to train the new recruitees.

They explained that the training period ranges between six months and one year to gain experience in operating the refinery units, revealing the intention of KIPIC to enroll them in specialized training courses inside and outside Kuwait to improve their expertise as the first batch to join the Zour refinery operations, reports Al-Anba daily. It mentioned that Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) had signed a cooperation agreement with the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) to attract field operators in oil companies and KIPIC through a program prepared by KNPC to support employees through their studies, and then appoint them to oil companies.

The Zour refinery project is considered one of the most important strategic oil sector projects implemented by Kuwait. It includes the construction of the Zour refinery with capacity for 615 thousand oil barrels a day, in addition to natural gas import facilities, and a petrochemical complex.