Alberta’s Energy Industry Back on Track for Businesses and Students Alike

Over the past few months, we’ve been noticing more and more energy-related news articles suggesting a bright future for the industry. Obviously this is good news for our students and recent graduates, and in this entry, we’ll look at why this is so.

Right now, and in the years ahead, a number of factors are coming together to paint an increasingly rosy picture for new energy grads.  The first of these is quite simply that the industry is picking up again following the painful recession only a few short years ago.  In a news report filed by CTV earlier this year, Don Herring of the Canadian Association of Oilwell and Drilling Contractors said that “Activity levels are very strong, running about 75% capacity, and puts us about 100 rigs ahead of where we were last year and kind of on a par with where we were in 2008.”¹

His sentiments are backed up by students who are finding the job market a much easier puzzle to crack this year than last.  Petroleum Engineering Technology student Ryan Miller told CTV “It’s looking like it’s really picking up and it’s nice to know I’m not going to have a summer without work,” and he’s not alone when it comes to employment.  SAIT’s 2010 Graduate Employment Survey results show an increase in recent MSE graduate employment rates of 5% to an impressive 94% among those who responded.²  Moreover, out of our 11 full-time, day programs, 5 reported employment rates of 100%. We expect to see even better results in 2011.

A recently elected Tory majority in Ottawa is another plus. Following the election results, Greg Stringham, a vice-president with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told CBC news that a strong Tory majority is good news for Western Canadian provinces reliant on energy-industry revenues.  “They understand our industry,” he said of the Conservatives; “The continuity there is really good in that they will be able to move forward with the policies that they had been considering, that had been kind of bogged down in the minority governments that were there in the past.”³

Yet perhaps the most significant factor in all of this is the increasing age of the existing workforce.  This year the first baby boomers will reach the ripe age of 65, meaning they’ll soon be heading for brighter shores in retirement, leaving a huge human resources gap.  And this gap, it seems, will be there whether or not the economic recovery continues on its current, speedy trajectory.  According to projections made by the Petroleum HR Council, “even if energy prices and industry activity levels are low, there remains a need to hire approximately 39,000 workers just to replace workers lost due to age-related attrition.”⁴  If business continues to boom, the council says, this number could be as high as 130,000!

This isn’t just good news for Petroleum Engineers.  The Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada (PHRCC) predicts that the energy industry will be seeking other skilled workers and professionals such as plant operators, steam and power engineers, production accountants, field operators, rig crews, and environmental and regulatory personnel in droves over the next 10 or so years.⁵

Considering all of this, it remains our (somewhat biased) opinion that there’s no better time to be a MacPhail School of Energy student, alumnus, or alumna!

GoTechGirl 2011

Campus turned pink last month when we welcomed 50 girls from high schools all over Calgary and the surrounding areas for our first annual  Go Tech Girl event.  Each of the girls participated in 2 of 12 unique sessions designed to introduce them to careers that have traditionally been dominated by men.  MSE instructors John van Leeuwen, Shashi Persaud, and Darko Stelkic each volunteered to help deliver one of two informative, energy-related sessions: “The Future of Energy” and “Oil Tycoon.”  One session, held at SAIT’s Aero Centre, even attracted the attention of Global News’ Gil Tucker, who profiled some of the girls as they familiarized themselves with various parts of a commercial airliner.  Check out the video here!

 

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MSE Students Honoured at 2011 Awards Ceremony

On Thursday March 24, MSE students and their families funnelled into MacDonald Hall and the Atrium for the MacPhail School of Energy’s 2011 Annual Student Awards Ceremony.  Altogether, the students were awarded 117 awards worth close to $200,000 — all of which was made available by our generous partners from industry.  This tremendous outpouring of support is testament to the importance of the ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships that MSE maintains with its industry partners.  The money that they invest in students today ensures that they will have the best possible employees to choose from tomorrow.

For the students, this was a special night honouring their extraordinary effort and achievements.  Their parents, families, Instructors, Academic Chairs, as well as the Dean, Associate Dean, and other MSE employees were all on-hand to share in their success.  The night was a particularly gratifying experience for those of us who make our living as educators because it reminded us of our ultimate mandate: to facilitate higher-level and exceptional learning.

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Before the awards were officially presented, the audience got a chance to hear from a couple of student representatives who spoke on behalf of their peers.  2^nd Year PT Student Ryan Miller and Students Union President Courtney Garlough both made compelling speeches expressing their gratitude towards the donors, and a positive outlook for the future of all of the students present.  Everyone who heard them speak, and who knows anything about what our students accomplish every day, has to agree on one thing: if these individuals represent the future of the energy industry, then we’ll be in good shape for many years to come.