Fueled by developments in technology and a growing demand for a dwindling resource, the oil and gas industry will change dramatically during the next 20 years.

With the influx of new technology, the industry will continue to rely upon technicians to operate and maintain new equipment. All staff, regardless of level of experience, will require a vast amount of training in the near future. There is no standardized method of delivering learning. All companies approach learning differently; it is supplied by different departments in different locations in different ways. This stems from the many industry trends and factors to which companies are attempting to respond.

Whether it is the skills shortage, the “Big Crew Change,” “Generation Y,” competence systems, or knowledge transfer, each points toward a different approach to learning. The result is a considerable gap between what staff should be learning and what is actually being delivered, especially at the “hands-on” level.

Challenges affect learning

A junior worker seeks answers from a senior worker. (Images courtesy of istockphotos)

In bridging the gap between learning and delivery, it is important to consider three significant issues the industry will face and how these will affect learning.

First, energy supply will remain one of the biggest issues facing the world. Society will continue to rely upon hydrocarbons from the petrochemical industry, and skilled people will be critical to ensuring that supply continues.

Second, oil and gas will be much more challenging to extract, which means more high-tech equipment and services will be developed. Technicians will have to be trained to use existing and new equipment.

Third, more and more indigenous staff will be hired. Graduates from China, Russia, and India will enter the industry in large numbers. These well-educated additions to the workforce will have little hands-on experience and few mentors to guide them or transfer knowledge. Increasingly, training at all levels will have to be provided in many languages to be efficient.

Lack of training persists

Gen Y workers like this man work simultaneously with multiple technologies — in this case, a laptop and a handheld device.

While developments in technology have contributed to great strides in E&P, those who entered the industry as technicians in the 1980s would probably agree that the lack of attention to training hands-on staff remains the same. An engineer is trained while studying for a degree, but the average process technician or pump operator receives little more than a smattering of health and safety training. It is questionable whether new employees are being adequately trained in critical areas that include:

• Equipment maintenance;

• Corrosion prevention, especially offshore;

• Understanding pressure;

• Chemical processes; and

• System functions and operation.

These types of training issues cannot be allowed to continue. Those entrusted with maintaining safety must be given the technical knowledge to achieve it.

Lack of skill affects drilling efficiency

More than safety is at stake. According to economists, every time there is an upturn or downturn in the industry, the lack of skilled staff available to carry out the work causes a drop in drilling efficiency.

Training is first to suffer in a downturn. The reasoning goes something like this: fewer operations require fewer employees, which triggers a drive to reduce costs, which often leads to layoffs. Herein lies the rub. When the industry picks up, these companies are slow to respond because they do not have crews trained to operate the equipment, let alone manage new equipment that has been introduced to address efficiency.

Coordinated approach to learning

People are the solution. The industry must recruit, train, protect, and retain them. A coordinated approach to learning contributes significantly toward achieving this goal. To design a successful program, companies must capitalize on the knowledge of existing staff and maximize employees’ ability to learn.

One of the factors to consider is the Great Crew Change. It is taking a serious toll. As experienced workers retire, their knowledge disappears. To capture knowledge for future generations, all that is required is for one knowledgeable person to “upload” his or her experience one time. It can then be “downloaded” for the benefit of thousands of employees.

By requiring employees to transfer knowledge during the exit phase, the next generation stands to gain far more knowledge and benefit from years of experience.

It is also important to understand that for Generation Y — those born in the late ’80s/early ’90s — learning is taken for granted, along with web access and multimedia devices. They seek ways to develop their careers. Offering Gen Y workers a program that provides learning combined with high-tech delivery makes them more likely to remain happily employed.

Every learning program should include a meaningful competence system that offers proof of learning — not a “tick box” exercise, but a vigorous, detailed assessment of a person’s capabilities. Such a system enhances an employee’s development and preserves safety.

In addition, all technical staff should receive uniform training so that companies can mobilize quickly and operate equipment properly. The real challenge lies in devising a strategy that addresses these issues. It sounds like a tall order, but it needn’t be.

Technology offers answers

What is the most cost-effective way to uniformly train this diverse workforce in hands-on trades without sacrificing training during a downturn and rapidly increasing during an upturn?

The answer is to use the latest technology.

Take advantage of eLearning or computer-based training (CBT), simulators, and online competence monitoring. Upload experience and download knowledge via the web so that it can be accessed by computer or handheld device.

Learning modules travel easily and can be used anywhere, whether an employee is onshore Russia or offshore India, at home in Mexico or onsite in Nigeria. Unlike classroom-based courses, eLearning modules can be repeated until retention reaches levels of 80 to 100%. To achieve this, content must be aimed at the appropriate level, and the quality of presentation must be outstanding.

Cartoons and clip-art do not constitute proper learning for adults. The most effective way to deliver eLearning is to use real photographs, videos, and realistic situations presented using an instructional voice. Continual questioning and feedback are central to maximizing retention rates.

A huge advantage of this approach is that language barriers can be removed through simple translation. A module produced in English can be delivered in any language at a minimal cost and made available to thousands more people around the globe.

To complement eLearning, realistic, affordable simulators offer effective hands-on training. Learning and practical experience can be enhanced and even replaced. Simulators can now be produced for a fraction of the cost they used to be, so technicians can learn how to check, start, operate, and maintain equipment online without the risk of damaging expensive equipment. Blended learning, which combines CBT with classroom instruction, is ideal, but it is hindered by the reduced availability of new textbooks, qualified instructors, and the number of courses on offer.

Retention rates of those who learn via eLearning are consistently higher and more enduring than those trained by traditional means. And implementing eLearning allows companies to avoid spending thousands on transporting staff to training courses or hiring expensive industry professionals who offer live instruction.

Preparing for the future

ELearning is not a panacea. It does, however, offer a practical, cost-effective way to provide training. For companies that have embraced eLearning, it has become more than a training tool. It is a means of ensuring a trained workforce that is ready to mobilize. A trained workforce is a prepared workforce. Ensuring training can mean the difference between winning and losing a tender, a safe or unsafe operation, profit or loss, and ultimately success or failure on a corporate level.