School-to-Work Program
In 2022, Global Faith Partners became aware of the planned $30 billion USD (70 trillion TSH) liquid natural gas (LNG) project being planned by a partnership of five energy companies including Equinor and Shell, along with Exxon Mobil, MedcoEnergi, and Pavilion Energy at the coastal town of Lindi, Tanzania.
Based on his career on large industrial projects, Mike Vallez, Chairman of GFP, realized that this plant will require thousands of skilled, trained and educated workers. (Press reports indicate 15,000 workers needed.) After discussion with the GFP Board of Directors, a prompt decision was made to evaluate the feasibility of expanding the mission of GFP to include training 5,000 Tanzanian workers with the advanced skills to build an LNG Plant. This evaluation led to a strategic plan to create a School-to-Work Program, commencing with a “train the trainers” program. This program involves three key elements:
- 1. We have identified 17 welding instructors in Tanzania from the Don Bosco Schools in Oyster Bay and Dodoma and the VETA schools in Linde, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Moshi, Mtwara and Songea who we will bring to the USA for advanced welding training. These 17 trainers will return to their schools with a minimum three-year commitment to teach their new skills to the others. In a pyramid fashion, we will support the training of 5,000 certified welders by January 01, 2027.
- 2. We have performed a gap analysis to identify the equipment improvements and facility expansions needed at key welding schools in Tanzania to meet the needs to train 5,000 certified welders by the year 2027. We are currently working on sourcing this equipment.
- 3. We will support the graduates of the modern welding programs to become certified, and enter the welding workforce within Tanzania, East Africa and beyond. We have commenced a program to inform 500 executives in major companies working in construction, and the oil, gas and mining industries in Africa.
