Vertical Education Enhancement Approach to Meeting Emerging Skillset Needs in Oil and Gas Industry

Emerging technologies often bring new opportunities to enhance productivity and safety in the oil and gas industry. New technologies and opportunities often come with the challenges of workforce development to provide entry-level and current professionals with the necessary training and skillset. This paper presents a vertical education enhancement (VEE) model approach to providing emerging skillset needs in the oil and gas industry with emphases on curriculum continuous improvement and lifelong learning. The top new and emerging technologies that are critical to the future of the oil and gas industry in enhancing productivity and safety include Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, big data analytics, cloud computing, and 3D modeling/visualization. As part of the solution to train the oil and gas industry workforce to meet the challenges of adopting these technologies, the VEE model features a vertical education structure that encompasses outreach to K-12 education, recruitment, tertiary education, professional training, and lifelong learning. It has an interwoven fundamental structure consisting of curriculum and mentorship, partnerships with stakeholders (industry, government, and community), and research and funding. The VEE model has periodic assessment continuous improvement processes for identifying emerging technologies and new skillset needed to improve the workforce. These processes are like those practiced by accreditation bodies such Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS), and Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO). Diversity to increase the participation of underrepresented minority groups and women in engineering would further increase the workforce. The novelty that the VEE model approach brings is the effectiveness in providing skillset training in new and emerging technologies for the oil and gas industry at all levels of workforce development. These include content infusion in existing courses, special-topic and specialized courses at senior and graduate levels, and professional development education and training through lifelong learning platforms.