Business

BP to Fund Azerbaijan Oil Engineer Programme

Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) – run by SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil company – is to set up a Business Education for Engineers course in order to boost the numbers of homegrown engineers. The programme, which will be implemented using financial support from oil and gas giant BP, is designed for fifth-year undergraduate students at BHOS and intends to give them an education in the field of management and business.

“This project shows that the partnership between BP and Azerbaijan has moved to the next level,” said Khoshbakt Yusifzade, first vice-president of SOCAR. The rector of BHOS, Elmar Gasimov, added that the new course will offer students the chance to learn about the most recent developments in the industry.

“With modern equipment provided by SOCAR, and its international curriculum, BHOS has quickly managed to drum up interest among young people for the technical subjects it teaches,” said Mr Gasimov. “Today, the brightest minds of our nation are being educated here. Last year we said goodbye to our first graduates. All of them found jobs in leading companies. Although this school was founded by SOCAR, we are delighted to see other companies getting involved.”

“What the new course focuses on are the skills that most graduates find challenging to develop when they start their business career in modern organisations,” said Gary Jones, BP’s regional president of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. “Our experience has told us that in many cases it is not easy for university graduates, including engineers, to step into the workplace. We believe this course will equip targeted undergraduate students with business management tools and techniques that will help them achieve a smooth transition from university education to business career.” Mr Jones also underlined that the project is extremely important for BP.