Oil & Gas UK is reaching out to young oil&gas professionals to ask them how the upstream petroleum industry should be changing to keep up with shifting aspirations and expectations of the younger generation.
The Next Generation Conference, sponsored by Maersk Oil and taking place at Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre on April 22, will give a voice to the North Sea industry’s young professionals, recognising their vital role as future leaders of the sector.
The day will be divided into three sessions, but kicking off with a keynote address by Michelle Mone, creator of the Ultimo lingerie brand and one of the top three female entrepreneurs in the UK.
Session one will look at workplace flexibility and explore in detail what new recruits want from a company they work for.
Session two will look at the link between individual and company success and how companies can respond to and accommodate the aspirations of their younger workforce.
In session three, delegates will discuss what they consider to be the most important contribution their ideal company can make to wider societal issues. The discussion will focus around the three areas of environment, economics and security of supply.
The conference will end with the unveiling of the delegates’ ideal company to a panel of leading industry and business leaders, who will then discuss these recommendations with the delegates.
Malcolm Webb, CEO at Oil & Gas UK, says: “Often referred to as Generation Y (individuals born after 1980), young professionals are said to be goal-orientated, self-confident and bored by routine.
“They expect motivational leadership, opportunities for learning and development and flexibility from their ideal company. There is no doubt that fostering a better understanding of the needs, expectations and aspirations of Generation Y will increase the attraction and retention of this particular group of employees, ensuring the continued future success of our industry.
“There are still 25billion barrels of oil to be extracted from the North Sea; however, to recover these means to overcome technological challenges, increase operational and capital efficiency and attract new investment.
“It is the next generation, the young professionals of today, who will be at the forefront of overcoming those challenges and making sure that our industry maximises its resource recovery, ensuring the UK’s security of supply.
“For this to be realised, the next generation of industry leaders must be effectively attracted, retained and developed. The conference is timely as our latest demographic report showed that attraction and retention of young professionals is still a key challenge for oil&gas companies, especially in the age-groups under 24 and 30-34.”
Maersk Oil MD, Kurt Normann Nielsen. said ” Maersk Oil has always recognised the importance of attracting and retaining highly talented graduates, from a wide range of disciplines. We need their technical excellence, innovation and fresh ideas if we are to overcome the many challenges we face, and we need to listen to their ideas and aspirations. The Next Generation Conference offers a unique opportunity for the industry to create a real dialogue with the people who will be both our future technical experts and our future leaders , and to address the key issues that will ensure a sustainable industry for the long term.”
A summary of all the new ideas and views presented at the conference will be fed back to human-resource professionals at the Oil & Gas UK skills seminar, Challenging the Status Quo, in May and to the wider industry at the Oil & Gas UK business breakfast at Offshore Europe in September to ensure that the voice of the next generation is heard and understood.
Companies are being invited to send delegates from a broad range of disciplines, including those with engineering, legal, financial, environment, health-and-safety and human-resources backgrounds, to gather as broad a perspective as possible.
For further information or to book your place, go to www.oilandgas.org.uk/new/ or contact the Oil & Gas UK events team on 01224 577250
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