Kamal Agazadeh, West Azeri control room technician and outside operator, was one of the first to graduate from the Centre.

“Apart from providing general technical skills, the Centre did an outstanding job in teaching us confidence, competence and the right behavior,” says Kamal. As he points out, the ability to assess the situation and to respond accordingly is vital for
anyone working in the control room- a single mistake can cost the whole platform.

“We were the first class to have a full one year training,” notes Kamal, “so it was an experiment both for us and, of course, the professors.”

The experience obviously proved successful as, upon completion of his training and appointment to the brand new West Azeri platform, Kamal was sent to the UK to delve deeper into utility and production systems.
Kamal Agazadeh

Vuqar Gasimov, originally a graduate of the State Oil Academy, used to work at West Azeri as a lab technician. He is now re-qualifying to become a production technician.

"It's challenging, but I enjoy the completely new perspective," he says. For fellow trainee Ilqar Mustafayev, ambition to succeed in the industry comes from his family. His grandfather Ahmed Dunyamaliev was one of the first oilmen of the USSR. Ilqar is also a graduate from the State Oil Academy, and he enjoys the team spirit in the classroom. "I am glad to see that all of my future colleagues are very competent
people."
Vuqar Gasimov

Ruslan Dovlatov, Kamal's former classmate and currently Central Azeri production and Central Room technician, does not come from a typical oilman background. An Aviation Academy graduate in mechanical engineering, he worked at the airport for a year as a technician supporting both utility systems and maintenance. After seeing a friend filling in the application form for the Annual Technician Recruitment programme RusIan photocopied it to try his luck. And what about his friend ? "He is on West Azeri now," smiles Ruslan. For Ruslan, the training at CTTC was of vital
importance. “The basics are the same, because all operating systems are based on the major rules of physics,” he says. “But adapting takes time and effort.”

What Ruslan especially enjoyed was that they were not simply taught which buttons to press, but also the detailed workings of the system. “There are systems which you can't get in and touch, but knowing their mechanism perfectly, I felt very confident on the platform.”

Having recently spent two days at the Training Centre on Emergency Response training, Ruslan definitely sees the positive difference. “The requirements have become higher and so has the complexity of the course," he notes. "And it works.”
Ruslan Dovlatov