Bridget Haby reports that the ever-growing age gap within the oil and gas industry workforce is a phenomenon that companies are all too aware of. It is projected that within 5 to 7 years, roughly 50 percent of the industry workforce will be retired. STEMFORCE, funded in part by Drillinginfo and founded by the organization GeoFORCE Texas, is a new program that aims to encourage students to pursue careers in the geosciences by exposing high-school students to geologic fieldwork. Last week Hanby took her first STEMFORCE group of 36 students from the Dallas and Austin areas to Florida to learn about river and coastal processes. For many of these students, this was their very first time on an airplane as well their first time travelling to another state. Over the first two days of the trip she could tell that many students were having trouble grasping the big idea concepts of geology, such as the processes that change the Earth surface.
Once they were out in the field however, and the students were able to physically see modern beach processes occurring on the Florida coast, she began to see her students having Aha moments as they connected the dots. Showing the students how the Earth surface is constantly changing and how these processes are reflected in the rock record is fundamental to their understanding of the foundations of geology. But what Ms. Hanby does not mention is that the OandG industry is cyclic and dependent upon the oil and gas prices. Now, for example, OandG companies are laying off young and old, but keeping the middle aged group for the time being. What Ms. Hanby should remind her minions is to diversify their geological education to include hydrogeology, hydrology, and related courses to provide flexibility to their careers in geology while they are in college. If already in OandG industry, and are about to be laid off, maybe it is time for retraining in the Houston area, at least by the IET.
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