21/05/2026
Last week at Ramec Group, we did not just host a Work Experience Week for five students from International School, Port Harcourt. We planted seeds!
Frankly, when five bright-eyed students—Mowa, Cheryl, Efe, Jason, and Kalada—walked through our gates, we were not sure what to expect, because we remembered how we felt when we were about their age. And with the profusion of information on career paths, we knew that the quiet question we asked ourselves at their age would now be almost deafening: "What do I actually want to do with my life?"
For five days, we helped them gain some clarity about the joys and demands of the oil and gas industry. Our goal was not to convince them to choose our industry, but to let them know what the experience is actually like by showing them all sides.
We started in the conference room, explaining the geology, the engineering, and the economics that power the oil and gas industry. We taught them about safety protocols, environmental stewardship, and the sheer responsibility of extracting resources.
Mowa, Cheryl, Efe, Jason, and Kalada were not kept in the air-conditioned conference room for long, as that would not be the full picture. We took them to the Baker Hughes workshop at Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, and the Omerelu 3 rig site: places where they saw in amazement the theories we had explained to them concretised in sweat, grease, risk, steel, and technology.
At the Baker Hughes Workshop, they saw the Tools that make directional drilling possible. They watched technicians disassemble, inspect, clean, and reassemble components that had survived extreme heat, pressure, and vibration. They learned that a single failed O-ring or a mis-calibrated sensor can cost millions. Maintenance isn't "cleaning." It's precision warfare against failure.
At the rig site, especially when they were standing on that platform surrounded by steel, pressure, and the hum of machinery, something shifted. You could see it in their posture. The abstract concept of "energy" became real. They watched the Omerelu Hilong 16 crew—men and women who weld, log, and drill—move with a rhythm that only years of expertise can bring.
To the management of Norwegian International School, thank you for choosing Ramec and for trusting us with your pupils.
To Mowa, Cheryl, Efe, Jason, and Kalada, thank you for your curiosity. You reminded us why we love this messy, hard, vital industry. And more importantly, you reminded us of our younger selves.
To the Ramec team that helped coordinate the activities— Agada Omale G, Grant C. Amadi, Columbus Richard, Precious Oluebube, Queen Nicole Unyene, and Excel Welendu—thank you for your patience, your honesty, and for showing up as real humans, not just supervisors.
To the Baker Hughes Team for their support, particularly Kenechi Okafor, Olisa Okeke, Emmanuel Woruka and Adaeze Edokwe.
To the parents: You have raised courageous kids! We are happy to report that they did not flinch at the towering height of the rig.
We do not know what each of our young friends will become because there is a wide range of areas of impact awaiting them, from Aeronautical Engineering through Software Engineering and Biomedical Engineering to Petroleum Engineering. But we are sure we planted seeds of focus, resilience, excellence and, ultimately, the drive to make the world a better place!
