Solid Rock Life and Business Services’ training work has been recognised on the international stage after scooping an award at the 13th annual Engineering Construction Industry (ECI) Training and Development Awards, held at Glaziers Hall in London.
The global management consultancy and capacity-building organisation was named East Africa and Rest of World Regional Winner in the International Training Organisation of the Year category at a prestigious ceremony to honour the very best of engineering construction talent in Great Britain and globally.
The event, organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), brought together industry leaders, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow, for a celebration of excellence in training and development in the ECI.
The International Training Provider of the Year award acknowledges and celebrates excellence in the delivery of ECITB-approved training, products and services in key ECI skills and health and safety programmes by an ECITB Global licensed provider.
Solid Rock Life and Business was handed the regional title at the ceremony (pictured) by award category sponsor, KBR, for its work in Uganda and across East Africa.
It has provided ECITB vocational training and technical testing in Uganda since 2019 in electrical installation and maintenance, welding, rigging, scaffolding, pipefitting, steel erecting, while also delivering ECITB Global’s International Health and Safety Passport.
In particular, the judges recognised Solid Rock for being at the forefront of delivering this training to major national oil and gas projects to ensure local talent is fully prepared to meet the standards expected.
These projects include the Tilenga oil development project operated by TotalEnergies, the Kingfisher oil development project operated by CNOOC and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
Reacting to winning the award, Franklin Bouguep, Executive Director for Solid Rock Life and Business Uganda and Co-CEO for the International Group, said: “We are really excited and proud to win the award. This is a testament to the hard work that was done by all the team.
“Most of the programmes we run in Uganda are large programmes. A client might decide it needs 50 to 100 students from a certain region and we need to make sure we can reach out to those students, make sure they meet the requirements for the programme and then get them to come.
“So, there’s a great deal of effort that goes into mobilisation, assessment, delivery and graduation, and for us, this award just shows us that the work is not in vain.”
He added that the recognition reflects not only quality and consistency, but also the organisation’s commitment to supporting young people beyond the classroom.
“We make sure trainees, young men and women, are equipped to work to the stringent standards of the oil and gas sector, and we also help them become service providers in their own right,” he added. “A large percentage of ECITB-accredited training providers in the market were trained by us. We understand the importance of growing the ecosystem.”
As one of the largest training facilities in Uganda and across East Africa, Solid Rock has trained close to 26,000 people in the last five years.
“For us it is about impact,” added Franklin. “What can we do to make sure that young people in Africa have the best education, get great jobs, have successful careers, take care of their family and help the development of their country. That’s our philosophy.”
ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey added: “As the industry-led skills body for engineering construction, we are committed to developing the skills needed for the delivery of critical infrastructure projects.
“We spoke of this commitment when launching our new strategy, Leading Industry Learning, back in September and how achieving our goals will require collaboration and commitment well beyond the ECITB alone.
“It fills me with great hope, therefore, to see this commitment to skills development showcased throughout industry, in Great Britain and globally, in the inspiring entries we received this year for the awards.
“Congratulations to Solid Rock, as well as our other winners and finalists, who are great examples of these success stories over the past year and set standards to which we all aspire.”
