You have been in the energy industry for quite some time now; could you tell us about how you came to found the Kenson Group of Companies?

In 1995, an opportunity arose for me to start my own business, drawing on my extensive work experience on offshore platforms. I was excited about the prospect of creating employment opportunities for young people in Trinidad and Tobago while making a meaningful contribution to the country. At the time, there was a real need for skilled labor to operate and maintain offshore platforms, so I considered the venture to be profitable and manageable. Initially, we started with ten employees operating out of the ground level of my home. Today, the Kenson Group has considerably enlarged premises and approximately 300 employees spread throughout various offshore platforms and other areas of the company.

Across the globe, there is a real need for qualified personnel. Could you tell us more about the founding of the Kenson School of Production Technology (KSPT) and the type of education it provides?

Around 1997, petroleum companies were struggling to find skilled and experienced local workers to work offshore. So, I decided it was time to train locals to fill those gaps. We started by taking students directly from college and technical schools and negotiated with multinationals to have them undergo on-the-job training offshore as Kenson trainees. We placed these trainees on job-specific training programs, which we expanded over the years to provide training and development opportunities for other workers across the energy sector. KSPT offers training programs on offshore operations, maintenance, and safety. We pioneered the Offshore Production Operator Training program (OPOT), which combines classroom and practical training sessions. Over the years, we have obtained affiliations and support from local and foreign institutions, and every major petroleum-based offshore company in Trinidad has Kenson-trained employees. We continue to provide on-the-job training through our alliances and agreements with these companies.

The Kenson Group of Companies has made a name for itself in the services sector, and we’re starting to see a trend of locally-based companies exporting their services abroad. What are Kenson’s plans for expansion outside of Trinidad and Tobago?

In 2008, the then-Prime Minister visited Ethiopia and made a commitment to assist newly emerging petroleum economies in Africa to develop their hydrocarbon energy business. Many of these African countries lack the experience required to develop the sector for the benefit of their local population. Following that visit, local companies were encouraged to seize opportunities on that continent. Kenson has been working with Uganda and has targeted Ghana, Tanzania, and Mozambique for further growth. We have trained several Ugandan students in Trinidad and are now working towards taking the Kenson School model to West Africa. We’re committed to helping these countries develop their energy sector and expect it to be a mutually rewarding experience.

As the Trinidadian market seeks to reinvent itself and remain a key player in the global energy industry, what are Kenson’s plans for the coming years?

As we take the Kenson brand global, both educationally and technically, our primary focus will be on West Africa and Tanzania. Regarding the Trinidadian market, we will re-engineer Kenson accordingly as the market “reinvents itself.” Our intention is to move into other industries within the energy sector, but primarily downstream. We plan to diversify our business model, mainly through acquisitions, to maintain our relevance and competitive edge in the local market as a strong local group.