OREANDA-NEWS. March 01, 2010. TNK-BP spends about 200 million rubles per year to implement educational projects, German Khan, TNK-BP Executive Director, said to RIA Novosti, reported the press-centre of TNK-BP.

TNK-BP provides training for reservoir management research and engineering personnel in the company-owned Tyumen Petroleum Research Center. The Center was visited by Prime Minister Putin as part of his trip to Tyumen.

“At the moment, we have contacts with about eleven Russian universities, with their departments which educate people in our key oil professions. A grant program is in place”, Khan said.

According to Khan, the idea of the grants and educational programs aimed at improving the quality of training and the level of knowledge of graduates in the specialized disciplines who are regarded as potential TNK-BP employees.

“Some of them are on a special scholarship program, we select young people starting from their eleventh grade at school and shepherd them throughout their studentship. They take internships and then work as young specialists for our company”, Khan added.

He noted that TNK-BP has agreements with two British universities where young specialists can get a master degree with the company’s financial support. Later on, they come back to TNK-BP to continue their careers.