WHEN THE Petroleum Institute opened in Abu Dhabi in September last year, it was seen as marking a 'special day in the history of the oil and gas sector' in the UAE.

A centre of knowledge, the Petroleum Institute is also seen as Adnoc's commitment to its strategy of training UAE nationals to work in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

Taking part in the Petroleum Institute project with Adnoc are its international partners: BP, Royal Dutch/Shell, TotalFinaElf and Japan Oil Development Company (Jodco).

The education and training of UAE nationals has been an Adnoc priority since the Group was established in 1971.

In 1974, an Adnoc programme for university scholarships was initiated. To date, more than 700 engineers and administrators have graduated, most of them having taken up leading positions in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries in the Adnoc Group.

In 1978, the Adnoc Technical Institute (ATI) was established to meet the need for technicians and operators. UAE nationals who have completed their preparatory school education can join the ATI, following an intensive professional syllabus for three years.

During that time, they take courses related to the technology of oil, gas and petrochemicals. More than 1,600 trainees have graduated from the institute since it was first established.

For the Petroleum Institute, Adnoc chose the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) as the academic supervisor. The CSM is world-renowned for its achievements, and the tie-up with Adnoc was seen as a prime example of how local industry and top-quality universities can work together to provide access to the best knowledge and learning in their bid to develop trained personnel.

The partnership between Adnoc and the CSM was also the first such project undertaken by Adnoc to back the higher education establishments in the UAE.

The formation of the Petroleum Institute was initiated to achieve a number of goals for UAE nationals, according to Adnoc. For instance, Adnoc says that there is a need for specialised national manpower in the country's oil sector, with few UAE nationals specialised as yet in the required scientific disciplines.

''When we questioned the students who came back from abroad, we found that, while they were highly qualified and knowledgeable, this knowledge was generic,'' said a senior Institute official.

''They might have learned a lot about the oilfields of Alaska and the North Sea, but they knew little about the geological structures and oil reservoirs of the UAE and Middle East.

''So we decided to remedy this with the creation of our own Petroleum Institute, with a focus on the specific needs of the UAE oil and gas industry,'' he said.

The Institute is also expected to save time and money for Adnoc. Most universities provide engineering programmes of a general nature, in every specialisation, so that Adnoc has traditionally had to spend a great deal of time and money preparing personnel so that they can be fit to carry out the duties assigned to each graduate.

The Institute will also help to meet the increasing technical challenges in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

In setting up the Institute, Adnoc adhered to a clearly defined concept: that it ''should acquire an exemplary status in the world's academic circles, on the basis of its commitment to creating an integrated personality in its approach to educating, developing and training students to work in engineering and applied science in the oil industry.''

The Petroleum Institute will provide BSc courses in five specialisations: Petroleum Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

Study courses will last for five years, starting with a preparatory year and going on to four years of academic courses in each specialisation.

The Petroleum Institute comes as a natural progression in the development of the Adnoc Group's educational role in the UAE and in the oil and gas industry.