In a previous article, the Energy Chamber examined employment data trends within the energy sector. This highlighted that, despite its critical role in driving economic activity, the sector employs only about 2% of the workforce.
Within the energy sector workforce, there is a wide variety of educational backgrounds and qualifications. Many of the sector’s unsung heroes - those working directly on energy facilities and infrastructure sites - often do not possess university degrees or specialized academic training.
In fact, according to initial results from a recent survey conducted by the Energy Chamber’s Learning Centre, 44% of people visiting the center indicated that they had no specific energy sector qualifications including 13% who reported that they have no formal education.
All contractor personnel who work on a downstream plant in Trinidad and Tobago must complete a training course and pass an assessment of their basic HSE knowledge once every two years. This is called Safety Essentials and is administered by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of the industry. It replaced the previous PLEA assessment earlier this year.
Individuals required to complete Safety Essentials span a wide range of roles, from contractor owners and team leaders who visit field sites to skilled technicians, craft workers, security personnel, laborers, and janitorial staff. It serves as the basic entry requirement for all the plants in Point Lisas, Atlantic, and other petrochemical plants and power stations.
Over the period 2023 and 2024 just over 20,000 people completed the PLEA Assessment (now replaced by Safety Essentials). This is a good proxy for the total size of the downstream contractor labour force.
This data underscores the fact that much of the work in the energy sector is executed by contractor workers. Many of these are temporary roles, often during turnarounds or other scheduled maintenance programs. While many of these jobs do not require advanced educational qualifications, they are very demanding and require the utmost attention to safety and adherence to procedures.
There are many skilled and experienced workers in the Trinidad and Tobago energy sector who lack formal certification. These individuals typically learned their craft on the job through direct exposure to maintenance programs or infrastructure upgrades. They are generally not employed full-time with contractor companies but pick up temporary work, usually when a major turnaround is taking place.
To address this gap, one of the major strategic objectives of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago is to formally assess the skills of these itinerant workers using a Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) approach. This methodology validates informal and non-formal learning by certifying workers based on their real-world experience, whether gained through employment, independent study, volunteer work, or community-based activities.
The Energy Chamber and the Point Lisas Energy Association (PLEA) have partnered with the National Energy Skills Centre to launch the PLAR Programme. As part of this initiative, PLEA has sponsored 50 individuals to complete the full PLAR process.
These certification programs can also help individuals obtain their Trinidad and Tobago National Vocational Qualifications (TTNVQs) and Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs), which can make them more marketable and improve their earning potential. These types of programs are key to strengthening local content in the energy sector.