Twenty-three engineers and technicians have graduated from the second Middle East intake of GE's Oil & Gas University Program, an initiative aimed at providing leadership and technology training for oil and gas professionals in Abu Dhabi.

Experts from GE and professional associates covered various aspects of the energy industry during the course, which was specifically designed for employees of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and its group of companies.

The seven-week tailored course was a condensed version of GE Oil & Gas’ technologies program, which is six months long and held at the company’s headquarters in Florence, Italy. Core modules included leadership skills, energy and oil and gas processes and rotating equipment.

H.E. Yousef Omair Bin Yousef, chief executive officer of ADNOC said, "Congratulations to all of our graduates. The pace of change in our industry is phenomenal. Today's executives and tomorrow's leaders constantly need to refresh their skills, as well as maintain awareness of regulatory changes and best practices. The GE Oil & Gas University Program helps ADNOC associates to build their domain knowledge and fine-tune their expertise. I'm delighted that a second batch of graduates have benefitted from this successful partnership."

Piero Salvadori, president of Oil & Gas University, said, "The Middle East plays an important role for GE, so it was logical to introduce our University Program to the region. Our course offers industry professionals the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge in their respective industries, as well as give them the chance to specialize in preferred areas."