I know a lot of companies that do not invest in young technicians. We at Saudi Aramco, one of the largest oil companies in the world, have a special department that handles all heavy equipment operation and maintenance.
Our company hires fresh engineers, high school students, and professionals. The newcomers are selected based on tests that guarantee a high potential of performance.
We offer high school students intending to be mechanics and technicians a three-year education course, with the opportunity for those with outstanding performance to go for a university degree.
After graduating from the program they are sent to work under an assigned mentor. Fresh technicians are required to complete very detailed tasks and get the mentor’s signature on the job. After that the technicians’ work is evaluated.
The technicians reinforce their basic knowledge by practicing repairs in the shop. Some are sent to the original equipment manufacturers to get advanced training.
We believe that the new task force helps the company as well as the manufacturer by pointing out areas of improvement, by cutting the time of the repair by understanding the new technology, and by presenting new ideas that are implemented by the manufacturers.
Hosam Hashem
Heavy lift engineer
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
