Abstract
Low oil prices in the mid-1980’s, and widespread industry restructuring since the 1990’s, have drastically impacted our industry workforce. In the West, fewer students in technical disciplines generally, and on petroleum-related courses particularly, are a cause for concern. Loss of oil and gas talent and experience to other, more "stable" industries, drive global fears of a deepening demographic crisis.
Russia is different. Its specialized oil & gas universities have not suffered the downsizing seen by some Western counterparts, and continue to provide a potent source of engineers and geoscientists. These institutions have adapted in the past decade as technologies, new to Russia, revolutionize drilling performance and boost production. Oil and gas drive the country’s economy, and its industry is an established "employer of choice". Campuses across Russia have also become a significant source of graduates for global operators and service companies.
In-company development programs, blending Russian experience with best practice from abroad, turn qualified graduates into competent young professionals. Building on strong but often specialized academic foundations, these develop skills to tackle the multidisciplinary tasks on which success in today’s industry increasingly depends.
Combining the perspectives of an Operator and a Service Company, this paper describes how such programs were developed to meet specific local needs in a global context. It will show how the creation of a Service Company training center in Siberia, for students from other countries as well as Russia, has brought technical and cultural diversity to the learning process. Sharing knowledge and technical excellence has become part of daily business among young professionals, and rapidly-growing SPE membership across Russia facilitates this exchange.
