Technical and Non-technical Skills Needed by Oil Companies

Abstract

Political, economic, and social changes have forced oil companies to redesign their corporate goals and business strategies in order to survive. They have restructured themselves and refocused on core businesses, and employees not having the skills needed in this new economy have been laid off. The aim of this paper is to identify the new skills that are required today so that geoscience students can prepare more effectively for careers in the oil industry and to help geoscience departments upgrade their curricula. The findings should help employers and departments to better understand each other's needs and improve cooperation between them, thereby benefitting the geoscience community as a whole.The data presented were gathered from 29 oil companies based in Britain, the most international petroleum community outside the United States. The firms surveyed employ more than 382,000 people, including over 6,000 geoscientists. Representatives from each company completed a 150-item questionnaire comprised of a mix of preferential ranking, box-filling exercises, open-ended questions, and observations designed to assess the importance of a wide range of skills and other issues. More than 40 geological and geophysical skills were assessed, together with 30 computer competencies, many non-technical and soft skills, business and math skills, and others.Recruiting by the major companies has become very sophisticated and more demanding. Applicants are now expected to have at least a master's degree and some industrial experience. These trends reflect a need for greater competency in both geology and geophysics even though only 54% of the entire skill mix relates to geoscience topics. Recruits should also have knowledge of both geology and geophysics. The level of computer competency now required has also increased, and certain nontechnical and soft skills have become essential.Some courses offered by departments have little relevance in the oil industry. Some respondents believe university computer education may be insufficient. Education in the business areas of finance, project management, planning, and economic analysis needs to be introduced, and departments must emphasize that non-technical and soft skills are important in the work place. They should also expand their teaching efforts in the areas of ethics, summarizing, and teamwork. Companies are very willing to cooperate with departments and to help them in a number of ways.