Chevron-funded Uttoron advanced welding lab was inaugurated in Khulna Shipyard. According to Chevron Bangladesh, the Uttoron , a skill for better life project, recently organized the inauguration ceremony, as part of its agreement signed with Khulna Shipyard in 2021 to launch advanced welding training and an advanced welding lab for the first time in Bangladesh. The new advanced welding lab will support young people in enhancing their welding abilities. Due to a lack of advanced-level training facilities, there is a shortage of skilled welders in Bangladesh. In the ongoing mega projects, welders are hired from abroad at much higher salaries. As a result, Bangladeshi youth are losing job opportunities in such projects. To solve this problem, in collaboration with Khulna Shipyard, Uttoron initiated the construction of an advanced welding lab, said a press release. Zamira Kanapyanova, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Eurasia and Europe, of Chevron, Eric M. Walker, President and Managing Director, Chevron Bangladesh and Commodore M Shamsul Aziz, Managing Director, Khulna Shipyard Limited, Bangladesh Navy, Chevron Bangladesh's Corporate Affairs director Muhammad Imrul Kabir, Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh Mujibul Hasan, and Team Leader of Uttoron Nadia Afrin Shams were present in the event. Uttoron project, funded by Chevron and implemented by Swisscontact, was initiated in 2016. By 2022, a total of 3380 young people received technical training in Sylhet and Dhaka. Besides, Uttoron established and upgraded the Bholananda Uttoron Technical Training Centre in partnership with Sylhet City Corporation.

Chevron Bangladesh donated an ambulance to Sylhet City Corporation (SCC). President and Managing Director of the company Eric M Walker handed over the ambulance to the SCC at its Jalalabad Gas Field Office in Sylhet.  According to Chevron, the ambulance will help SCC in providing healthcare to  the people in Sylhet. Read: Search for gas: Chevron plans drilling in Bibiyana’s flanked area in April Eric M Walker visited Sylhet and Habiganj where he attended events to support the local community as part of its Social Investment Initiatives. Chevron Bangladesh has been able to step in at a moment when the country needs reliable, affordable energy to run its hospitals and emergency facilities. Eric M Walker also visited the Integrated Support for Children with Disabilities (ISCwD) Project at SSKS Clinic, ¬Karimpur, Bibiyana, Habiganj to provide assistive devices among children with disability in one-year program to support children with disabilities aged between 0-18 years and their families and community members living in the project locations. This initiative started in collaboration with Save the Children in March 2022 to support children with disabilities and their parents to get accessible basic services like health, education, and development from mainstream service providers. The ISCwD project aims to benefit 300 Children with Disabilities, 300 Parents and caregivers, 200 School teachers, and 20 local schools. Read: Uttoron: Chevron-funded skill development project draws to a close Chevron Bangladesh has been managing social investment programs since 2006. Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, involved in virtually every aspect of the energy industry. Chevron Bangladesh operates three gas fields in the northeast of the country. It is the largest producer of natural gas in Bangladesh, accounting for over 60% of total domestic natural gas production and over 80% of the domestic condensate production.

Chevron Bangladesh has  secured approval for the expansion of the Bibiyana gas field on its northern flank, augmenting the existing contract zone by 60 square kilometres.    Senior secretary of the Energy Division Mahbub Hossain disclosed the development while addressing a function to celebrate the US oil giant’s 25th year of operations in Bangladesh at the InterContinental Hotel on Tuesday. “The government has approved Chevron’s proposal to allow Chevron to add a 60-square-kilometre "flank" area outside its existing contract zone in the north of the Bibiyana gas field,” said Mahbub. The senior secretary said it may add an additional 1.5 trillion cubic feet of gas to the country’s current stock. Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Advisor on Energy Affairs to the Prime Minister, Petrobangla Chairman Nazmul Ahsan and Chevron Bangladesh’s managing director Eric Walker also addressed the function. Chevron is currently producing around 1481.3 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) from three gas fields  -Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvibazar- which is about 60 percent of the country’s total gas production. The new extended area will be drilled under the same production sharing contract (PSC) now applicable for the three gas fields. Read: Gas crisis persists as Bibiyana field yet to resume full production Dr Tawfiq Elahi Chowdhury urged Chevron to participate in the upcoming bidding round for the country’s offshore blocks. He said Bangladesh wants Chevron’s cooperation to address its energy crisis. “We want our partnership with the American company to continue,” he said. Eric Walker, president of Chevron Bangladesh, said the country has been producing and supplying gas for the country safely and reliably. “We want the partnership with Bangladesh to continue for its development as the country made excellent economic  progress,” he added.

The Asian University for Women (AUW) Math and Science Summer School 2022 programme recently concluded with a closing ceremony held in Chattagram. Students were awarded certificates of merit in recognition of completing the programme. Six students were awarded the "Emerging Woman Scholar Award" for their exemplary curricular engagement and leadership initiative. In 2019, Chevron Bangladesh launched a partnership with the AUW to inspire young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The programme was resumed in 2022 after two years of Covid. The AUW Summer School 2022 selected 71 bright female high school students from all over Bangladesh to participate in a diversified four-week programme focused on math, science and computer coding. Read: Bangladesh's RMG one of the front-runners in sustainability marathon: BGMEA The programme is aimed at enhancing the skills and competencies of these students to help them stand out in STEM-oriented studies and careers. The Summer School 2022 was held from July 17 to August 11. The curriculum of the programme focused on physics, mathematics, and bioinformatics. These courses were taught by a cohort of international and local faculty with excellent academic backgrounds. Math and science courses were led by Joshua Talbot, and computer coding courses were led by Cole Baker from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Chevron Bangladesh, the largest producer of natural gas in the country, has extended its support to flood-hit people of three districts of Sylhet division as part of the company's corporate social responsibility. To support the flood-hit people of Habiganj, Sylhet and Sunamganj districts, Chevron Bangladesh recently provided one week's emergency supplies to around 14,000 families and additional 240,000 oral saline and water purification tablets. Chevron Bangladesh provided support to the affected families currently staying in the flood shelters in the three districts in collaboration with local administrators and relief committees of the flood-affected areas. Read: Chevron concludes community-based Jibika project Muhammad Imrul Kabir, director of corporate affairs in Chevron Bangladesh, said: "As a socially responsible organisation, we must stand by the flood-affected families at this critical time. If we all work together, we can alleviate the suffering of the affected community."

Chevron Bangladesh-funded Uttoron has provided advanced level welding training to workers at Khulna Shipyard (KSY). Recently 24 trainees from the first batch received certificates from the international certification authority Bureau Veritas (BV), said a press release. Out of 24, three trainees received 4G level certifications. Read: Chevron concludes community-based Jibika project Executive Chairman of National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) Dulal Krishna Saha and Director, Corporate Affairs of Chevron Bangladesh Muhammad Imrul Kabir recently visited the country's first internationally standardized advanced welding training implemented by Khulna Shipyard (KSY) and Swisscontact. During the visit, Saha and Chevron officials participated in a welcoming event arranged by KSY. At the event, NSDA executive chairman learned about Uttoron’s internationally standardized advanced welding training. Dulal Krishna Saha said, “Our productivity has increased, but we still struggle to get a skilled labor force. And if we can make the youth skilled, they will contribute to the country’s growth. Read: Chevron’s Uttoron project launches android-based Bangla app to develop soft skills for job market He thanked Chevron, Swisscontact, and Khulna Shipyard for such an initiative. “This training will help the youth be skilled and contribute to the economy,” he said. Muhammad Imrul Kabir said, “Chevron is very proud that Uttoron has started an advanced welding training course with Khulna Shipyard. Hopefully, this partnership will help the youth become more skilled and join the workforce.” Managing director of Khulna Shipyard, Commodore M Shamsul Aziz, NGP, psc, BN, Captain Abul Kalam Azad, psc, BN, gave a tour to the guests of the Khulna Shipyard campus. Dulal Krishna Saha appreciated the training facilities and acknowledged the prospect of the training program. Read Chevron partners with Save the Children to launch integrated support for children with disabilities

Uttoron - Skills for better life is a skill development project, funded by Chevron, implemented by Swisscontact, has launched its first android-based Bangla app to develop soft skills of unskilled and semi-skilled youth engaged in formal job market. Soft skill is an essential factor for higher productivity and prosperity in career. From an entry-level worker in a factory to a CEO of a multi-national firm, soft skill is required everywhere. Also read: Chevron concludes community-based Jibika project The Uttoron app covers fundamental factors like communication, teamwork, time management and problem-solving skills, said a Chevron press release. The launching event took place in Dhaka Westin Hotel recently. The app launching ceremony was attended by N M Zeaul Alam, Senior Secretary, ICT Division, Eric M. Walker, President, Chevron Bangladesh, Imrul Kabir, Director, Corporate Affairs, Chevron Bangladesh and Mujibul Hasan, Country Director, Swisscontact. Addressing the function N M Zeaul Alam said the government continues to place great importance on applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in all spheres of development. Proper skills will open new doors for our youth in the internal and international jobs market, where we face fierce competition, he added. Eric M. Walker said this app will focus on building soft skills for the graduating trainees to help them cope up in their professional life. Uttoron has taken a holistic approach by infusing digital access to resources along with technical training that will help the trainees to develop themselves entirely as we work towards increasing the human capital through technical and vocational training, he said. Imrul Kabir said the new app is a soft skill development tool which is a new addition under the Uttoron project, indulging digital resource to the trainees which can be downloaded in android-based smartphones. Mujibul Hasan said that Uttoron Soft Skills development app is purely driven by our learning from the field and industry. Also read: Chevron partners with Save the Children to launch integrated support for children with disabilities Uttoron Skills for better life is a three-year project that Swisscontact is currently implementing in Sylhet, Dhaka & Khulna division with funding from Chevron. The other three objectives of the project are to provide vocational training to 2000 youth, establish a permanent training facility in collaboration with Sylhet City Corporation that SCC will operate beyond the project period and to support upgrading a national level training institute to offer training in advanced welding skills. In addition, it has already introduced a new trade Packaging and Finishing Operation to meet the demand of the packaging industry first time in Bangladesh. The trade has already been validated by National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) and is under the process of approval from the PM office.

A closing event of the Jibika project, a collaboration between Chevron and BRAC, was held recently at BRAC Centre in Dhaka. Representatives of the Bangladesh government, BRAC, Chevron, BRAC USA, IDEA, IDE and Sharbik Gram Unnoyon Shomobay Shomiti Ltd were present on the occasion. The project has been operating since October 2015 in areas adjacent to Chevron-operated gas fields in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj districts, Chevron said in a release. Jibika worked to achieve the long-term sustainability of the community-based organisations by enhancing organisational capacity through strengthening cooperative governance and building leadership abilities. Read: Power sector subsidy may double at Tk18000 crore in FY22- 23 budget Jibika facilitated the registration of 110 groups, enhanced their socio-economic status and overall supported more than 22,470 people (around 4,216 households) in the surroundings of gas field communities. Rear Admiral M Makbul Hossain, director (operations), BRAC, gave closing remarks. Md Ahsan Kabir, additional registrar, department of co-operatives, Ministry of LGRD & Co-operatives, Eric M Walker, president of Chevron Bangladesh, Md Imrul Kabir, director, corporate affairs, Chevron Bangladesh, and Lauren Godfrey, senior manager of education, BRAC USA, attended as the event as guests of honour. Shyam Sundar Saha, programme head, Integrated Development Programme (IDP) BRAC and representatives of the community-based organisations presided over the event. The event highlighted the achievements of the Jibika project, followed by an outline of Jibika’s journey and learning so far and it was presented by the programme coordinator of Jibika, ASM Sofrul Islam. Read: Chinese Company to set up hair fashion accessories industry at BEPZA economic zone Md Ahsan Kabir lauded the partnership between BRAC, the world’s largest development organisation, and Chevron, Bangladesh’s largest international oil company, in bolstering the socio-economic development of vulnerable communities, residing near Chevron-operated gas fields in Greater Sylhet. Muhammad Imrul Kabir And Eric M. Walker on behalf of Chevron thanked the Jibika project and the government cooperative department for their contribution to socio-economic development through the institutionalisation of community organisations and expressed their experience while working on this project. Eric M Walker emphasised that Jibika is one of the key projects under Chevron’s Bangladesh Partnership Initiative or BPI, which is their signature economic development program. Jibika project participant, Laila Sultana, secretary, Donokandi Shoboj Sharbik Sharbik Gram Unnayan Shomobay Shamit Ltd, and Md Rubel Ahmed, chairperson, Tukergao Surma Sharbik Gram Unnayan Shomobay Shamit Ltd, said that the training and knowledge gathered from the BRAC-Chevron and IDEA’s Jibika project has helped them to learn how to operate a village development organisation, how to improve enterprise through new technology, market system, and linkage with service providers. A documentary showed two community-based organization leaders, depicting their journey and the impact Jibika created over the years.

Chevron Bangladesh has partnered with Save the Children to launch a program titled: “Integrated Support for Children with Disabilities” (ISCwD) at District Commissioner Conference Hall in Habiganj, Sylhet. The one-year program will cover children with disability aged up to 18 years and their families, community members living in the project locations, said a Chevron press release. Read:Chevron to up gas production by 100 MMCFD from Bibiyana from early April Chevron has been operating three gas fields in Bangladesh which are Bibiyana, Jalabad and Moulvibazar in Sylhet region. The objective of this program is to support children with disabilities to access to education, health, and development from mainstream service providers, minimize social stigma and prejudice for children with disability with the goal of improving social inclusion in the community and support the children and their families to enable them to learn and earn. The program will run from March 2022 to February 2023 and will promote access to education, health services, development, participation, and well-being through inclusive approaches, which will help support the achievement of the UN SDGs. The program will support 300 children and their families, community members living in the project locations, caregivers, teachers, 20 primary schools and 200 teachers, school management committee members, community people, local elites, and other adults. Read:Chevron celebrates 13 years of partnership with Save the Children Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Habiganj district Ishrat Jahan as chief guest along with Civil Surgeon, ADC (General), ADC (Education & ICT), Deputy Director (DD)- District Social Welfare Office, District Education Officer (DEO), District Primary Education Officer (DPEO), Assistant District Primary Education Officer (ADPEO), District Youth Development Officer, Inspector of Police Habiganj district; and Upazila Social Welfare Officer of Nabiganj Upazila and Chevron Bangladesh’s Corporate Affairs Director, Muhammad Imrul Kabir attended the event.

Chevron Bangladesh and Save the Children have celebrated their long partnership to promote access and increase basic educational outcomes for marginalized children through SHIKHON program. An event titled‘ Dissemination Program of SHIKHON Tracer Study and Celebrating 13 Years of Partnership’  was held at the Lakeshore Hotel, Gulshan, Dhaka recently. Read:Chevron signs deal with Rock Energy to market its lube products in Bangladesh According to a release of the Chevron, the SHIKHON project, a collaboration between Chevron and Save the Children since 2008, has reached more than 21,000 people and provided access to primary education to more than 4,000 at-risk, out-of-school children. For the past 13 years, it has been a critical safety net and springboard to success for local children. Under the project, dropped out and out of school children completed primary education (school readiness to Grade V) through Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) schools and transitioned to nearest high schools in Grade VI; and marginalized hard-to-reach children completed a pre-primary component and Grades I through III from Early Primary Education (EPE) centers or one-room schools and be equipped to transition into Bangladesh’s national education system from Grade IV and beyond. At the event, the findings of the Tracer Study on the SHIKHON program were presented by Shah Shamim Ahmed, Associate Professor, Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University. The findings from the Tracer Study on the Chevron supported SHIKHON project revealed that the program resulted in increased access to cost-effective non-formal basic education for hardest to reach children in targeted communities, increased efficiency, and quality of non-formal basic education services using holistic approaches for children to succeed in school and increased collaboration between the formal and non-formal primary sectors to promote sharing and adoption of best practices. The event was attended by Eric M. Walker, President of Chevron Bangladesh, Shahin Islam, Project Director, SHIKHON, Save the Children; Muhammad Imrul Kabir, Corporate Affairs Director, Chevron Bangladesh; Dr. Md. Abdul Halim, Director, Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University; and Mr. Shah Shamim Ahmed, Associate Professor, Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University, among others. Chevron Bangladesh, the operator of three gas fields in Sylhet region in the country, invests in activities and programs that focus primarily on economic development, education and health care, reaching thousands of people in northeast Bangladesh. Read: Chevron’s scholarship programme for local students continues Under Chevron Bangladesh’s Quality Education Support initiative, a scholarship drive for high-achieving underprivileged students was launched in 2001. In 2021, scholarships were awarded to 783students in 23 schools. It also included the remuneration support for additional teachers in selected schools, an endowment fund, sports equipment, school furniture, sanitation facilities and tube-wells to provide safe drinking water for selected schools, said the Chevron.