As operator of the Peregrino field we are financing the project - "On the Pilgrim's Trail: From the School up to the Platform" ("Na Trilha do Peregrino: da Escola à Plataforma") - which aims to address the needs of fishing communities potentially affected by our exploration and production activities in the area.
The Pilgrim's Trail project, implemented in cooperation with the Rio de Janeiro State Government and local public schools, supports education and the upgrading of skills in local communities within the area of influence of Peregrino.
To deal with the labour shortage in Brazil, and also to enable greater participation by community residents in the benefits from the oil industry, the project focuses in particular on attracting and building the skills needed to supply the Peregrino field with qualified labour during its estimated 30-year lifetime.
The project also offers scholarships to financially disadvantaged students to enable them to take a university degree or technical education in a relevant field.
In the first phase of the project, which started in December 2007, more than 500 students at 10 public schools in the cities of Cabo Frio, Arraial do Cabo and Armação dos Búzios (all in Rio de Janeiro State) took part in an educational programme aimed at increasing their knowledge and understanding of the petroleum industry and related career options.
The event was the first in a five-part series which will continue throughout 2008. Partnerships with local education institutions that will provide training and capacity-building will be initiated in the first quarter of 2008, when the scholarship programme is also expected to be launched.
"We are very happy with the results although we still have a long way to go in Brazil," says Country Manager Jorge Camargo, underlining Brazil's potential.
"Brazil is a country with 184 million people and it has been growing substantially in recent years. The workforce potential is also extraordinary. StatoilHydro believes in Brazil and in its sustainable growth and will continue to take part in it and invest in Brazilian competence," says Jorge Camargo.
