Muscat – A ceremony was held to announce the opening of Outward Bound Oman’s third national outdoor training centre in Jabal Akhdar on Monday.

The ceremony was held under the auspices of H E Dr Madiha bint Ahmed al Shaibani, Minister of Education, and attended by H E Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals. 

Construction of the OBO Centre was a Ministry of Energy and Minerals CSR initiative with contributions from Petroleum Development Oman, Occidental Oman, BP Oman, OQ, Daleel Petroleum, and CC Energy Development.

Occidental Oman managed the establishment of the centre on behalf of all the companies. The centre was completed within two years at a cost of RO2mn after a memorandum of understanding was signed with CSR corporates in 2019.

The centre has two fully equipped learning rooms, a 60-seater AV theatre, four outdoor learning pods, equipment stores, prayer rooms and accommodation facilities. It offers unique experiential learning and training courses to a wide variety of groups, including school and university students, organisations, government institutes and private companies. 

In line with Oman’s future energy policy, the centre was built to high international standards. It utilises renewable energy from 164 solar panels and three micro-wind turbines and has ten solar powered LED streetlights.

The taps and lights in the centre are equipped with timer switches. ‘This will not only reduce energy consumption but will reflect the energy sector’s role in applying renewable energy resources in its projects. It will also contribute to minimising its environmental impact,’ a press release said.  

Speaking at the opening, H E Aufi said, “We are pleased to announce the opening of the third branch of Outward Bound Oman in Jabal Akhdar as part of the ministry’s initiative for social responsibility. With generous support from oil and gas companies, this branch complements the previous two branches in the wilayat of Al Qabil in North Sharqiyah and Al Khoud in the Governorate of Muscat to meet the needs of young people and hone their skills and expertise.”

Mohamed al Zadjali, CEO, informed that Outward Bound Oman has been operating for 13 years and has delivered training courses to more than 17,500 individuals. “Completion of three centres over the past five years is just the first stage of what is a 25-year vision, aligned with Oman Vision 2040. Our focus now is to optimise the use of these world-class learning and training facilities by ensuring as many people as possible benefit from them in the coming years.”

Launched in 2009, OBO aims to create an interactive environment that attracts young people with a unique opportunity to learn, train and gain practical experience. It currently delivers more than 100 training courses for over 3,000 people a year.

It plays an important role in developing key skills that are required by all organisations, as it contributes through the courses it offers to the development of participants, using an outdoor environment full of adventures and challenges to give them valuable skills for life and work.