A more resolute training and learning process for the next generation of Saudi manpower in the oil and gas industry will be the focus of local and international stakeholders in the energy industry during the next decade. This was highlighted at the Second Saudi Arabia International Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference which opened Sunday at the Dhahran International Exhibition Center. Dr. Randy Gossen, president of the World Petroleum Council (WPC), addressing the opening of the conference, said WPC is now finding more ways to attract and retain the next generation of young people. He said the newly formed WPC Youth Committee is seriously addressing how the next generation will look at the petroleum industry. “What we are trying to do now in focusing the training and learning process of the next generation is for them to approach the petroleum industry in terms of the technical, social and environmental challenges that lie ahead,” Gossen said. He said the Second WPC Youth Forum to be convened in Paris from November 18-20 will be focusing on “the technical innovations and composition of tomorrow's energy picture, the industry's ethical, social and environmental responsibilities and future leadership scenarios.” “We hope we will be able to gain valuable insight into the perspective of young people towards the industry which we will need to address in order to encourage them to consider a long term future in our sector,” the WPC president said. The chairman of the WPC Youth Committee, Dr. Wael Moosa, a Saudi, said the forum will gather the youth from different countries to discuss common agenda on how the next generation will address the energy sector – the oil and gas industry. He said Saudi Arabia was sending a strong delegation to the meeting in Paris. Piero A. Zipoli, president of International Exhibition Services (IES), organizer of the event, also addressing the opening of the conference, said the more centered approach now towards the participation of young people in Saudi Arabia is a positive move to the Saudization of the oil and gas sector. He said engineering students from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) will present their questions and impressions of the oil and gas sectors during the technical session of the conference. Students from the King Faisal Universities will also have a session with Khalil Al Gannas, president of the Jubail Energy Services Company (JESCO), who will answer questions and give overviews of career opportunities in the oil and gas sector. International organizations are also expanding their training programs for the next generation. The Well Control School, which has provided training in oil well drilling, completion/workover, and servicing for over 25 years, is now very much present in Saudi Arabia providing training to young Saudis. “About 80 percent of our trainees are Saudis who are trained under classroom environment,” said Ed Geissler, president of the Well Control School, an American institution based in Houston, Texas. “Graduates of our training program are certified by the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) and the American Petroleum Institute (API). National oil companies, including Saudi Aramco, and oilfield services contractors have strong employment preferences for our graduates,” Geissler said. The Well Control School, which is based Dammam, has been providing local training during the last three years, graduating about 500 students every year. Geissler said a number of Saudis, who are unable to attend the actual class room session, have availed of the Well Control School learning process via the Internet. An installed program in a laptop could also be forwarded to students who prefer to study on their own free time. The oil and gas exhibition was opened by Zarid bin Saeed Al Qahtani, Deputy Governor of Eastern Province. Over 270 companies are participating in the three-day exhibition and conference.
