bp on behalf of its co-venturers in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Shah Deniz, and South Caucasus Pipeline projects – SOCAR, TPAO, PETRONAS, MOL, LUKOIL, NICO, Equinor, INPEX, ExxonMobil, SGC, ITOCHU, ONGC, TOTAL, Eni – today announced successful completion of a project aimed at improving the English language skills of engineering teachers and students at the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU). The project is part of bp’s and its co-venturers’ close cooperation with local universities in support of their capacity-building including improvement of the quality of teaching.
The project has resulted in significant upskilling of about 90 teachers and 200 students.
18 teachers with the highest final results have been qualified as trainers of language teaching practices and methodologies. They will continue to train additional groups of teachers and students using their upgraded professional skills.
Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, bp’s Vice President Middle East and Caspian, Communications and Advocacy, said: “Although the English language is not an essential area of knowledge for petroleum engineers in Azerbaijan, it gives direct access to the wealth of international science and valuable petroleum literature. In addition, it enhances the chances of employment by the large number of international organisations and businesses operating in the country. We are pleased to see the great results of our project - all participants have completed the training programme with improved English language skills by at least one level up. The most important result, however, is that the university will now have a group of qualified trainers – a capacity that will allow them to independently provide English language upskilling opportunities for their teaching staff and students with no need for help from others.”
The project started in May 2019 as a one-year programme, however because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions it took longer to complete.
The value of the project was around 193,000 AZN and it was implemented by the British Council.
Notes to Editors
Over the past 28 years bp and its co-venturers have supported a large number of major social investment projects. These have included educational and capacity-building programmes, building skills and capabilities in local communities, improving access to social infrastructure in communities, supporting local enterprises through provision of access to finance and training, support for cultural legacy and sport, as well as technical assistance to public institutions.
In 2020, bp and the co-venturers in bp-operated joint ventures spent more than $3.2 million in Azerbaijan on social investment projects.
In addition, in 2020 bp alone invested over $4.2 million in the country through various social projects.
This includes bp’s recent 3 million-dollar support to the country in its fight to relieve the COVID-19 pandemic situation. This contribution was specifically spent to purchase overseas biochemical and PCR laboratories, bring them to the country and install in TABIB’s New Clinics, also to purchase and bring to the country 100,000 PCR testing sets and associated consumables/reagents and 3 isolation capsules for exceptionally contagious cases. The donation was meant to help enhance the country’s capability to effectively diagnose and treat COVID-19 cases in particular and strengthen the country’s healthcare services in general. In addition, there was a further over 100,000 AZN donation for the same purpose by bp’s employees in Azerbaijan and a 10,000 dollar-worth Castrol lubricants donation by bp Turkey Lubricants meant for TABIB ambulances.
In total, to date bp and the co-venturers in bp-operated joint ventures have invested more than $90 million through social development programmes in Azerbaijan.
For more information about bp and co-venturers’ social investment projects please visit bp Azerbaijan site at www.bp.com/azerbaijan
Tamam Bayatly at bp’s Press Office in Baku.
Telephone: (+994 12) 525 58 95