From July 29 to August 9, CLDP and the University of Houston/Petroleum Technology Initiative (UH/PTI ), conducted at UH a program focused on “Project Management in Exploration for, and Production of Hydrocarbons."

This program was developed over the course of two years at the behest of the US Consulate in Basrah. The governorate of Basrah is the location of Iraq’s main hydrocarbon resources and the center of Iraq’s oil and gas activities. (As a result of past CLDP activities, there is a sister city agreement between Basrah and Houston). The Consulate is now closed because  of  security incidents that occurred during demonstrations in Basrah. One of the reasons for these demonstrations was the  high level of unemployment among Basrah graduates, a key factor of political instability. The Consulate asked CLDP to develop this program in order to equip Basrah petroleum engineering students with the knowledge and skills required for employment with International Oil Companies (IOC) and with international oil service companies operating in Basrah. The IOC consider that Basrah graduates have good technical skills but lack project management skills.

The two-week course in Houston was intended for delegations from four Basrah universities with petroleum engineering programs. (A professor and two students from each one of the four universities). Despite the fact that the professors from three of the universities were unable to attend for visa reasons, the program ended on a positive note, thanks to the unique expertise of the PTI faculty and to the exceptional quality of the work done by the Iraqi students. A draft MoU outlining next possible steps was drafted by CLDP after consultations with UH and with Iraqi ministries.