Tue, 20 December, 2022
H: Could you please introduce yourself? Please tell me about you and your job background. What exactly do you do?
N: My name is Nurgali. I am from the south of Kazakhstan, the warmest part of the country. I have been working in the oil and gas energy industry for 17 years, particularly in the quality department. I have other qualifications and certifications from CSWIP in the fields of Welding and NDT and this is my 3rd experience with TWI. I have attended previous training at different TWI offices and now I am taking my training at TWI Kazakhstan I am pleased and satisfied with the level of instructors.
H: Can you tell us about your job? What exactly do you do? And how are these qualifications that you hold related to your job?
N: At the moment I am working for Tengizchevroil company, it is a joint company of Chevron and the Kazakhstan government. I am working as QA/QC Supervisor in a pipeline project. We are doing welding, coating, painting, insolation, non-destructive examinations, civil works, and PMI. My certificates give me the authority to sign some of the required documents. I also get to train the team I work with and share my knowledge and expertise with them.
H: what training are you attending at the moment and which other CSWIP Certificates do you hold from TWI?
N: I am attending BGAS-CSWIP Painting Inspector Grade 2 training in TWI Kazakhstan office in Atyrau. I also hold CSWIP Welding Inspector, CSWIP Ultrasonic Testing Level 2, Radiographic Interpreter Level 2, Magnetic Particle Testing Level 2, and Penetrant Testing Level 2 from NDT certificates of TWI.
H: As you have a very wide range of expertise could you please tell us what is the advantage of having these certificates? How do they relate and what is the necessity of having diverse skillset?
N: Above all, with these international certificates I have developed my knowledge and confidence. They also have given me competency which is what we need in the job market. Nowadays the competition is tough and there are many specialists with good qualifications. That’s why I believe we should try to be the best candidate when it comes to job hunting.
H: Do you think in the Kazakhstan market it is necessary for a candidate to have multi certificates? For example, if someone wants to become a welding inspector, do you think getting just one certificate would be enough for them to get into the market, or do they really need to be equipped with other qualifications to be more competitive and be able to land the job?
N: The oil and gas market in Kazakhstan is very huge. So it depends on the person and what he/she wants. What is their career goal and what is their role in the market? If working in certain specific disciplines it can be quite sufficient to get a few certificates. But if one is working in a supervisor role such as me, one needs to be on the same page with each inspector to be able to understand them and get the main common goal. Of course, holding international certificates can help you find jobs anywhere in the world as well as in Kazakhstan.
H: You have been in different TWI training offices, what is the overview of your experience with training at TWI? And what do you think about the course content itself? Since you have quite experience on the line do you think training is very directly relevant to what you are dealing with in the industry? Is it up to date enough? Or is it just a certificate necessity to make you go to TWI training?
N: Overall I am very satisfied with the level of knowledge of instructors at all of the offices that I have been to. Most of the people who work in the oil and gas field know the practical elements of their specialisation. However, many don’t know the theoretical aspect very well. I think learning both practical and underlying theories is the best way to get more efficient at work. So it is not only certificate necessity that makes us go to TWI training, but also the need for developing theoretical knowledge as well. All the best to those who want to get any training and certifications from TWI.