Developing Talent to Meet Demand A Case Study of the Production Technology Discipline in Upstream International Operated

Abstract

Abstract Our industry is highly dependent on competent, innovative and motivated professional workforce to deliver the world energy needs now and years to come. Resourcing the business with the right numbers and skill level at all strata of the organization requires that we continue to develop our young professionals and also provide opportunities for the experienced professionals to continue to grow. This paper discusses current best practices deployed and the impact on the business, using the Production Technology (PT) Discipline as a case study. Development of young professionals is achieved through 3 key ways: In-role development, mentoring and coaching and formal learning. These 3 mode of training follow the 70:20:10 approach to maximize learning where it is expected that 70% of learning occurs through on-the-job experience and learning as you carry out tasks; 20% through interactions with others (coaching, demonstrations, peer-to-peer sharing, etc.); and 10% through formal learning (e-learning, classroom, etc.). Operator X Graduate Programme (SGP) and the Advanced Graduate Programme (SATP) are some of the recent modes deployed to ramp up the technical capabilities of new graduates. These have aided in cutting down the number of years to “autonomy” while maintaining the quality and efficiency of the technical professionals. For the more experienced staff, operator X has tailored their role specific needs through the technical learning portfolios which include the Project Academy and the Production Academy. The mode of delivery of the trainings is tailored toward the learning objective, for example – awareness training versus on-the-job learning support, etc. In many technical learning portfolios, the blended learning mode is more favored (with emphasis on adequate preparation prior to the classroom event (f2f), more hands-on during f2f and the continuation of learning after the f2f). The formation of Subject Matter Expert (SME) networks to address different subject areas in the Discipline has also helped in deepening the skills of the experienced staff while accelerating learning for the less experienced. The Production Technology career Path Plan provides a vehicle to deploy these tools and processes and consequently transform talented but in-experienced graduates to seasoned and motivated professionals.