Case Studies

It was a simple piece of good news from the man who was delivering Bilal’s NEBOSH International General Certificate course. On the very first day, his tutor told the class how he had just finished his NEBOSH Diploma and was incredibly happy about it.

Bilal recalled: “It was a strange feeling at the time, because even though I had just started my International General Certificate, it made me realise my learning wouldn’t end there. It was all just the beginning.”

In the years that have passed since, Bilal has not only passed the NEBOSH International Diploma himself, but three other NEBOSH qualifications. “I quickly realised I had to continue my studies to keep moving on to the next level,” he told us. “There is always demand for higher qualifications as your career progresses, because employers always want the very best candidates.”

Bilal, who lives and works in UAE, originally moved there as an automotive service advisor following an apprenticeship in his homeland of Pakistan. He soon began to see that health and safety was an emerging and increasingly well-respected profession in the Middle East. A strong mentor of his told him that a NEBOSH International General Certificate would definitely get him on a career path in the profession and this proved to be true. Bilal followed his advice and then found a position as an HSE Advisor with an engineering company. He has never looked back since.

“I’ve had a variety of fascinating project-based roles since then, and perhaps one of the most exciting was my time recently working with supervising consultants on the build for the Expo 2020 event in Dubai.”

Expo 2020 is billed as ‘the world’s greatest show’ with participants from across the world. It is scheduled to run from October 2020 through to April 2021 for a period of 173 days. Much of the theme for the show is about ‘creating a better world’, and so appropriately the organisers set very high standards around health and safety. For example, Bilal told us it was a pre-requisite that he held a NEBOSH Diploma before he would even be considered to work on the project at HSE Manager level. “This meant more to me than simply playing a part in the build-up to this high-profile event. As an HSE professional it made me feel that I truly belonged and that investing in my knowledge and learning had meant I could be part of an incredible team there.”

However, none of this means Bilal’s learning is about to end. “I’m looking at the NEBOSH Environmental Diploma as well as perhaps a Masters next. I am a great believer that what we know is never enough.”

After working on Expo 2020, Bilal is now a Project HSE Manager at China Petroleum Engineering in Abu Dhabi. He is also delivering NEBOSH training himself to International General Certificate candidates. One of the first things he tells participants on the course is “never put a full-stop after learning,” adding. “This is just the beginning.”