Haditha celebrates first graduating class from new oil refining program

ANBAR — The city of Haditha in Anbar governorate has marked a milestone in technical education, celebrating the first graduating class from its new oil refining program at the local vocational high school.

The initiative — the first of its kind in the governorate — is part of a broader effort to strengthen vocational education and prepare students with practical skills to meet the needs of Iraq’s energy and industrial sectors.

“We played a role in building this foundation and expanding it with specialized programs that serve a broad segment of youth,” said Yassin Mohammed, principal of Haditha’s vocational high school. “With direct support from the Director of Vocational Education and in coordination with the Haditha refinery administration, and after meeting all necessary requirements, we opened the Department of Oil Refining and Gas Processing as one of the school’s key streams to provide mid-level technical staff for the city and governorate.”

Mohammed said the program faced early challenges, particularly in developing a curriculum that met educational standards. “The refinery director supported us by building the laboratory and providing the necessary materials and staff.”

Abbas Fadhel, a technical assistant at the school, said Haditha was selected to host Anbar’s first oil refining department, with the goal of training students to support operations at local and national refineries.

“We’re looking to train mid-level staff to serve the refinery sector,” he said.

Students in the program can earn a diploma after the first stage and may be admitted to the Oil Training Institute in Kirkuk or Baiji if they achieve high scores in the second stage.

“There’s a promising future in this field,” said Ibrahim Mohammed, one of the students. “I can complete my studies, graduate, and move on to specialized oil institutes, which increases my chances of getting centrally appointed.”

He added that vocational education offers more accessible opportunities than traditional science tracks. “The subjects aren’t difficult, unlike scientific tracks that require very high grades. Vocational students gain more hands-on experience and direct exposure to real-world work.”