Twelve trainees have now graduated from the gas operator training program.

Graduates of the program completed units from the Certificate II in Gas Supply Industry Operations and are now well placed to apply for entry-level opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

Jemena expects to select two graduates of the six-week program to complete a Certificate III in Gas Supply Industry Operations after which they will commence apprenticeships as part of the Gas Operations Team.

Northern Gas Pipeline project director Jonathan Spink said more than 70 people from local communities had completed formal training with graduates going on to secure employment on the NGP or in other parts of the gas industry.

“From the outset we have been committed to creating opportunities for local people as part of the NGP project. Today’s graduates have helped us deliver on this vision and are to be commended for their dedication and hard work as trainees,” Mr Spink said. 

“As we progress plans to expand and extend the NGP, we hope to deliver additional training and employment opportunities for people from the communities surrounding the pipeline route. While it is early days, we expect this expansion to create around 4,000 jobs across northern Australia at an investment of approximately $4 billion.”

Mr Spink said Jemena’s NGP project continues to track to schedule with the project achieving a number of key milestones over the last fortnight.

“In 2017, we constructed around 405km of pipeline and are well on the way to building the remaining 217km of pipeline this year,” Mr Spink said. 

“At this stage, we expect to have mainline welding completed by mid-June. Once welding has been finalised, the pipeline will be buried and safety tests will be conducted prior to gas being introduced into the pipeline later this year.

“At the same time, work on the Mount Isa and Tennant Creek compressor stations continues to track to schedule.”

More than 33,000 individual pieces of pipe measuring between 18 – 20 metres each have been laid out across the 622km NGP route. 

To date, more than 375 jobs in regional and remote parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland have been generated by the NGP, including over 260 jobs for Indigenous Australians from the communities surrounding the pipeline route.