Guyana - Turning Industrial Growth into Local Capability

I recently came across an ExxonMobil announcement about the Hammerhead development in Guyana.

There were several impressive numbers in it: a US$6.8 billion investment, an additional 150,000 barrels of oil per day of production capacity, and more than US$60 billion committed across seven approved projects.

But one number caught my attention for a different reason.

Around 6,200 Guyanese are now supporting Stabroek Block operations, representing approximately 70% of the workforce.

That number raises an interesting question.

As Guyana continues to develop its industrial capacity at remarkable speed, how do we make sure that workforce growth is accompanied by the same growth in technical capability and experience?

Having spent much of my career in inspection and industrial services, I have learned that training and experience are two very different things.

We can teach someone how to use an advanced NDT system. We can teach standards, procedures and acceptance criteria. Certification can demonstrate a defined level of competence.

But experience takes time. It comes from seeing real components, interpreting unexpected indications, working under different conditions and, sometimes, making technical decisions when the answer is not immediately available in a procedure.

This is where I believe Intertek can play an important role. With more than 100 years of experience across industries, projects and different operating environments, we have the opportunity to connect that accumulated knowledge with the professionals building Guyana’s industrial future.

Guyana does not need to build every industrial lesson from the ground up. By connecting local professionals with experience already developed across Intertek Energy’s services, technologies, projects, and operating environments, we can help accelerate the learning curve and strengthen local technical capability.

And I believe this should be part of how we think about Local Content.

The number of local professionals participating in an industry matters. But over time, perhaps an even more important measure is how much technical capability is being developed alongside that participation.

For Intertek, as a global solutions provider, this represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. Beyond bringing our expertise to support projects, we can create a lasting impact by helping develop local technical capability and sharing the experience built across our global organization.

Technology and equipment can be mobilized quickly, while experience takes longer to build. But when shared effectively, experience can multiply and ultimately become local capability.

For me, that is one of the most interesting parts of Guyana's industrial development: not only how quickly the industry is growing, but how quickly its people can grow with it.