Baku: BP, alongside its co-venturers in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Shah Deniz, and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) projects, has successfully concluded an educational social project aimed at cultivating highly qualified national talent in Azerbaijan. According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, this initiative underscores BP and its partners’ dedication to bolstering the country’s sustainable future by nurturing world-class local expertise and capabilities.
The project offered support to 30 talented Azerbaijani students from low-income families, aiding them throughout the international university application process. These participants were selected based on academic performance, English language proficiency, and potential for pursuing higher education abroad. The comprehensive support included over 50 group and individual training sessions to prepare for admission tests like IELTS, SAT, TOEFL, Duolingo, GRE, and GMAT. Additionally, the students received guidance on university selection, application package preparation, and identifying scholarship opportunities.
All 30 participants have secured admission to at least one international university, with 15 pursuing bachelor’s programs and another 15 accepted into master’s degrees. To date, participants have received approximately 120 admission offers from 52 universities across 17 countries, including prestigious institutions such as University College London, the National University of Singapore, and the University of California, Berkeley.
An event celebrating the project’s success was held, where students received graduation certificates and shared their future academic plans. Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli OBE, BP’s vice president for the Caspian, Central Asia, and Trkiye region, remarked on the initiative’s success, highlighting the potential unlocked when talent and hard work meet opportunity. The project, supported by BP and its co-venturers with a contribution of 150,000 AZN (88,235 USD), lasted 12 months and was implemented by the local organization ROOF Academic Training.
BP’s presence in Azerbaijan spans 34 years, during which the company and its partners have invested over $89 billion in various projects. Their social investment activities focus on building local capabilities, education, community development, the environment, sports potential, and cultural heritage promotion. Since its inception, BP and its co-venturers have spent more than $115 million on social investment projects in Azerbaijan. BP directly employs around 2,322 Azerbaijani citizens, comprising over 90% of its professional staff in the country.