(EnergyAsia, September 18 2013, Wednesday) — UK-based oil and gas services provider Petrofac said it has secured a US$120 million agreement from Malaysian state energy firm Petronas to build, operate and manage two high-specification training facilities as part of its programme to enhance the capabilities of the local workforce.

The operations and management components of the agreement represents the largest contract win in the history of the UK firm’s subsidiary, Petrofac Training Services (PTS).

Petrofac said it is constructing two “live” upstream plant training facilities, and a “live” downstream facility to supplement existing facilities at the Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas (INSTEP) training academy.

Petrofac will continue to manage and operate the two upstream facilities, which are capable of training 500 delegates each year, for the next five years with an option to extend for another two years.

The agreement follows an earlier memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies aimed at exploring collaboration in competency development and capability building.

Andy Inglis, chief executive of Petrofac Integrated Energy Services, said:

“We are delighted that we are continuing to build on the existing relationship with our long-term customer Petronas to support its goal of enhancing Malaysian workforce capability in the oil and gas sector. Training is a core part of the offer and the award of our biggest training contract to date demonstrates our growing scale in an area which international and national oil companies have high on their agendas.

“The creation of this regional centre of excellence will enable Petronas to ensure the development of a highly-skilled resource pool to meet its own and industry needs now and in the decades ahead.”