The Fulbright program is accepting applications February 1 – April 30, 2012.  This prestigious and competitive scholarship program, launched by the U.S. Congress and the late U.S. senator William J. Fulbright in 1946, allows outstanding students worldwide to obtain Master’s degrees at U.S. universities to further their academic and professional careers as well as to promote international cultural understanding.  The Fulbright program directly supports the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

The Fulbright scholarship will fund up to two years of study at the Master’s degree level at a U.S. university starting in the Fall of 2013.  All disciplines and academic fields of study are available under this program, with the exception of medicine and other clinical studies.  Those Iraqis with an outstanding academic record, both men and women and from all parts of Iraq, are urged to apply using the online system described below.  As many as 35 scholarships can be awarded in Iraq.

Participation is an opportunity for exceptional Iraqi students to experience life in the United States first-hand.  Iraqi Fulbright students also have the opportunity to share Iraq’s rich culture with Americans and to serve as “student ambassadors,” both in the classroom and in everyday life.  The Fulbright program in Iraq seeks to develop future leaders in all fields and to contribute to the educational goals of both countries.  The Fulbright Selection Committee, comprised of U.S. officials and Iraqis, nominates candidates for this program.

Developed in partnership with the U.S. Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and Rollins College, the Global Links program will sponsor a female Iraqi professor in the United States for one year. The two-part program includes a hands-on externship at Tupperware’s headquarters in Orlando and an academic year in residence at nearby Rollins College, where she will participate in a specially designed curriculum focused on entrepreneurship, women business ownership and financial self-sufficiency. Using a “train-the-trainer” model, the program will enable the professor to return to Iraq and impart her training on hundreds of Iraqi university students.

Tupperware, which operates globally and invests in the social, economic and educational empowerment of women all over the world, identified a need for the Global Links program during a site visit in Iraq. The company wanted to invest in Iraq’s long-term future by leveraging the untapped potential in women, who can play an important role in helping to drive recovery and growth.

The accreditation of the Al Delma facility in Basra City demonstrates Iraq’s commitment to developing its energy industry and creating a workforce trained to the globally recognised basic safety standard, IMIST online.

It brings the total number of invigilation centre’s approved to deliver International Minimum Industry Safety Training (IMIST) around the world to 16, with facilities spanning Australia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines as well as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Nigeria and Russia among others.

The Al Delma centre will be capable of delivering the programme to up to 250 people every day.

Bilal Mahmood, CEO of Al Delma said:

“Long-term underinvestment in the development of our oil and gas personnel has meant considerable training is needed if we are to accomplish the goal of a safe and skilled workforce for the future.

“As one of the biggest training centres in Iraq we have built our reputation on being quick, smart and reliable and we are delighted to be the first to gain approval to deliver this new international training and be a model to others in the country.”

Developed by global oil and gas training standards body OPITO International, IMIST brings for the first time a standardised level of basic safety training to an estimated 1.5million oil and gas workers worldwide. The training assesses basic safety knowledge in nine subject areas including risk assessment, asset integrity, the use of hazardous substances, working at height and mechanical lifting among other subjects.

IMIST online, which was launched in the Middle East in July 2011, is delivered in partnership with Atlas via approved invigilation centres only.

By gaining Atlas approval to deliver the course, workers using the Al Delma centre will have their IMIST training accepted by employers all over the world. It will also reduce the burden of training costs for companies with both new entrants and experienced workers able to undergo a full range of mandatory and voluntary health and safety courses under one roof.

Atlas chief executive John Rowley said:

“This is a significant step forward for the oil and gas workforce in Iraq in terms of creating a safe, sustainable and profitable oil and gas industry for the country.

“It is also a major milestone in the adoption of a common industry standard for basic safety and competency in oil and gas around the world. The support which has been shown for this initiative is evident in the rapidly increasing footprint of centres which now spans across all four corners of the globe and is testament to the industry’s desire to improve safety at all levels.”

IMIST is being rolled out across 30 countries worldwide throughout Asia, Africa and the North America over the next two years. It will be delivered via e-learning and tailored to meet each region’s specific workforce, language and geographic needs.

The MEPI Student Leaders Program will take place from June 26 – August 7, 2012. Students will be placed in one of six U.S. colleges or universities where they will participate in a five-week academic residency and a one-week educational study tour within the host university’s geographic region. The study tour is designed to complement and reinforce the concepts explored in the academic residency. The program will address common themes including a comparative analysis of leadership styles, conflict resolution and group dynamics, and the role of civil society in the democratic process.

Applicants must be 18-24 years old, citizens and residents of Iraq, have good command of the English language, and have a sustained high level of academic achievement. Applicants must also be able to participate fully in intensive academic activities, have a serious interest in pursuing leadership opportunities in Iraq and a desire to deepen their civic engagement, and be willing to take advantage of opportunities to inform and educate Americans about the culture and society of Iraq.

Interested applicants should fill out the “MEPI Students Leaders Program Application Form” available at http://iraq.usembassy.gov/student-leaders-program2.html and send it completed with a copy of the photo page of their passports to IRAQMEPI@state.gov. The deadline for applications is midnight on Thursday, February 2, 2012.

(Source: U.S. Embassy)

The Chairman of the Council’s Planning and Follow-up Commission,  Mohammed al-Rabie, told AKnews the faculty will be limited to science, engineering and medicine and it has the approval of the Ministry of Education, leaving only simple administrative procedures to be implemented.

“According to investment law this project does not need the approval of the federal government because Baghdad has the right to grant investment licenses of up to $250 million USD (292 billion IQD).”

The local government in Baghdad demanded the national government make an exception for investment companies to allow them to implement projects in the capital within the 2012 budget.

In 2006 Iraq ratified investment Law No 13 to encourage foreign companies to enter the country and contribute to rebuilding the country’s dilapidated infrastructure. The first amendment to the law in 2009 gave foreign investors the right to own land to establish housing projects on them.

(Source: AKnews)

This article was originally published by The Scotsman, and is re-published here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

A familiar face walked across the hotel lobby. Former BP boss Tony Hayward was deep in conversation as Erbil’s Rotana Hotel hosted Kurdistan’s first international oil and gas conference.

The capital of the northern semi-autonomous region of Iraq was buzzing with activity. Kurdistan is the new Saudi Arabia with the fourth-largest oil reserves on the planet and Erbil could be like Aberdeen in the 1970s, albeit without the sea and the harbour and with sand storms replacing easterly wind and sea harr.

The Erbil conference was party to a massive exploration deal signed between the American giant Exxon Mobil and the Kurdistan regional government. But the Baghdad federal government is not happy as they would rather control all the oil and gas developments across Iraq. The Kurds are safe, attractive to do business with and do not want to be held back by the stultifying bureaucracy and delay of Baghdad’s green zone.

Erbil and wider Kurdistan have been mercifully free of kidnappings, road-side bombs and killings since 2007. It feels safe to walk and drive around despite the obvious security, bag checks and police who are present at all major buildings. Drilling for oil in Kurdistan is therefore easier than across the regional border so Exxon Mobil will be followed by other multi-national oil and gas exploration companies. UK interest is considerable, with £3 billion of investment in the past six months alone. Aberdeen headquartered Wood Group have a presence and other export-orientated Scottish service companies will assuredly follow.

I visited the Kurdistan parliament, met the Speaker and discussed where the industry would take politics. The devolved government’s budget has grown from $100 million to $11bn in nine years. Oil and gas revenues operate under a precise formula laid down in the federal constitution and will add a further $2bn to the Kurdistan budget in the next year.

The participants, representing the primary, secondary, and university levels, established an Iraqi affiliate of the international association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). This initiative, undertaken in partnership with the Ministries of Education and of Higher Education and Scientific Research, supports the development of English language skills in Iraq. It is being carried out under the Strategic Framework Agreement between the United States and Iraq.

“The delegates at this formation conference have participated in democratic elections and chosen their leadership for the next two years. Along with our friends at the British Council, the U.S. Embassy stands ready to support TESOL Iraq and its new leadership,” said Chuck Hunter, the Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, in congratulating the new group’s founders.

Over the three days of the conference, the educators heard statements of support from Dr. Nihad Al-Jubouri, Deputy Minister of Education for Scientific Affairs, and from Dr. Firas Jabbar Mustafa, Director of Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Representatives from the Iraqi NGO Authority also pledged support for the new association and explained the process for achieving legal status as a non-governmental organization. The president of TESOL International, Christine Coombe, came to Baghdad to address and advise the group as it seeks official affiliation with TESOL International.

After the founding members ratified the association’s constitution and by-laws, candidates campaigned for positions on the leadership board. Conference participants elected a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and training and communications coordinators.

In addition to helping establish the TESOL association, over the past three years the U.S. Embassy has trained over 125 primary and secondary educators as master teachers in modern English instruction methods, furnished 50 University of Baghdad professors and future teachers with advanced training, sent over 30 teachers to international professional development conferences, provided modern teacher materials and resource centers, and held pedagogical workshops throughout Iraq’s provinces. In addition, the Embassy has trained hundreds of teachers with online programs, including TESOL certification, created an online network for teachers of English, and sponsored English teachers’ memberships to TESOL International.

The U.S. Department of State and TESOL International announced a new partnership during International Education Week (November 14-18). The initiative will expand collaboration with the private sector to leverage resources in support of advancing English language teaching globally. For more information, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/ppp/tesol-international-association.html.

(Source: US Embassy)

This was the clear message given at the Middle East Association’s ‘Iraq: Untapped Opportunities’ conference held on 22nd November at the Dorchester Hotel, London.

Supported by the National Investment Commission of Iraq, UK Trade & Investment and Allurentis, the event was sponsored by Shell, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Petrofac and Mott MacDonald and attended by over 230 business and government representatives. A strong Iraqi delegation attended, led by HE Dr Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy and including HE Dr Khairallah Hassan Babiker, Minister of Trade; HE Mr Herish Muharam, Chairman of the Kurdistan Regional Board of Investment; and Dr Abbas Al Sa’adi, Adviser and General Director of Legal Directorate of the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers.

Opening the conference Middle East Association Director General Charles Hollis commented that Iraq is now entering a more stable phase, and opportunities for business are growing. “We need to replicate the UK success in the Kurdistan region throughout the whole of the country,” he said, adding that the Association is looking to organise a trade mission to Baghdad and Basra within the next twelve months.

In a keynote speech, HE Dr al-Shahristani urged British companies to participate in Iraq’s unprecedented reconstruction and development programme “for the benefit of all parties.” He underlined the Iraqi government’s commitment to creating a conducive environment for foreign investors through the generous benefits and incentives offered by Iraq’s investment law. Highlighting Iraq’s huge economic potential he noted that Iraq’s real growth rate has been more than 7% per annum over the last four years, and is expected to grow even faster over the next decade, with GNP in 2010 standing at $150 billion. Iraq is looking to invest $200 billion over the next six years in the oil and gas sector alone, with a need for new technology and modern management skills. Iraq’s goals “cannot be achieved without international companies” he said. He stressed that the opportunities are not limited to the energy sector, highlighting telecommunications, transport, housing, financial services and tourism as areas offering opportunities.