Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) globally recognised courses and training programmes are to be delivered in Angola for the first time.
Industrial Fire & Safety Angola (IF&SA) has become the first ECITB Global Licensed Training Provider in the West African country in what it described as a “defining milestone” for the company.
IF&SA now holds licences to deliver ECITB Global’s International Health & Safety Passport courses and International Competence: Engineering Construction (ICE) scheme; as well as technical training and testing in welding.
The company, which is based in Soyo in north-west Angola, provides internationally certified safety training and technical services to support the country’s industrial and offshore sectors.
IF&SA Managing Director and Training Centre Manager Joao Rosa is responsible for executive oversight of operations, localised industry partnerships and the execution of training delivery at its Kianda base.
He said: “IF&SA exists to bridge the critical competency gap in the Angolan energy sector. By delivering internationally accredited training locally, we directly support the nationalisation of the workforce, enabling Angolan technicians to secure high-tier roles on major offshore and onshore assets that previously relied on expatriate labour.
“The partnership with ECITB Global developed from a documented deficit in standardised, globally recognised technical training within the region.
“Securing this license is a defining milestone for IF&SA and for Angola’s technical education infrastructure.
“Being the first licensed provider validates our strict adherence to international quality standards and establishes IF&SA as the primary conduit for engineering construction excellence in the region.”
Pictured here and main image: A learner being put through ECITB Global welding training at IF&SA as part of the initial pilot in Angola.
Globally recognised schemes
ECITB Global’s International Health and Safety Passport (IHSP) is a globally recognised health and safety scheme developed from the CCNSG Safety Passport, which is the UK’s engineering construction industry (ECI) safety card.
The scheme now being delivered by IF&SA ensures individuals possess a recognised level of health and safety knowledge and awareness to work on engineering construction sites worldwide.
IF&SA has also developed technical courses in welding based on ECITB’s training standards, which are aligned to ECITB technical tests and will enable it to issue globally recognised certificates to learners on successful completion.
Designed specifically for the ECI, ECITB technical tests are fully aligned with the UK’s National Occupational Standards (NOS) and examine the ability of individuals to perform specific skill-based tasks commonly needed in engineering construction, in this case welding.
Once an individual has successfully passed the required number of technical tests to meet the requirements, they can gain an ICE card under the International Competence: Engineering Construction (ICE) scheme.
ICE is a global engineering construction industry card that helps employees demonstrate they have the knowledge, skills and proficiency to perform their role to the required level of competence.
ECITB Global schemes to ‘empower Angolan workers’
Joao says the IHSP and ICE schemes “provide a rigorously validated, universal standard” amid the need for workers to demonstrate proof of competency to contractors in Angola.
He added: “Implementing these frameworks removes ambiguity regarding a worker’s hazard awareness and technical capability, directly satisfying the stringent quality assurance and control requirements of our multinational clients.
“The IHSP provides a standardised, transferrable qualification that mitigates redundant site-specific inductions and establishes a verifiable baseline for industrial safety protocols.
“The passport scheme will empower Angolan workers with a globally recognised credential. It not only ensures a substantially safer operational environment across local infrastructure projects but directly increases the employability and upward mobility of our national workforce within the global energy supply chain.
“On the welding side, there is an acute, documented demand from contractors for high-specification welding capabilities. Our Kianda base is equipped for TIG, MIG/MAG and MMA processes. We process continuous pipelines of local technicians and inspectors who require this specific international validation to operate on critical assets.”
Furthering the reach of ECITB Global
ECITB Global works with more than 60 licensed training providers across the world to deliver internationally recognised training and qualifications in key engineering construction industry skills and health and safety programmes.
Angola is the latest African country now part of this network, with ECITB Global licensed providers also operating in Mozambique, Uganda and Tanzania.
“Congratulations to the team at IF&SA on being licensed as the first provider in Angola to offer our IHSP and ICE schemes, plus welding training and testing.
“The ECITB Global team looks forward to working with the company in ensuring its clients have access to internationally recognised training and qualifications.
“We are delighted to be able to further the reach of our work at ECITB Global. We now have 65 overseas licensed training providers operating in over 30 countries.”
Tristan Kemp
ECITB Head of Commercial
