Over the next 10 years, it is estimated that the international LNG (liquefied natural gas), LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and wider natural-gas industries will be faced with losing up to 50% of their most senior workers.
With this serious impending talent shortage on the horizon, Gastech 2009, the international conference and exhibition for these vital industries, is investing in the future of the gas industry with the Fuelling the Future initiative for students due to graduate in 2009.
The initiative helps to publicise the industry as a worthwhile and beneficial career path for new graduates and also takes practical steps to ensure that some of them benefit from actually visiting Gastech, which this year is being hosted by Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation (Adnoc) and staged in Abu Dhabi on May 25-28.
By raising sponsorship from key companies, the organisers of Gastech have the money to pay for the students selected to travel to Abu Dhabi to take part in the so-called Fuelling the Future special programme.
This year, two additional students can gain places on the programme through winning entries for the newly launched Gastech Student Essay Competition.
Students who have registered their interest in attending Gastech 2009 on www.gastechstudentprogramme.com are invited to submit an essay of 1,500 words for this competition by March 6.
So, if you are smart and really, really want to have a go – and, hopefully, at least some Scottish-based students from universities such as Aberdeen, Robert Gordon, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde will sharpen their quills – you have just enough time to have a crack.
There will be two winners, one from the technical category and one from its commercial counterpart – these echo the two main conference streams at Gastech 2009. Essays for the technical category should be on one of three topics:
Technical developments in gas processing or transportation.
Technical advances in the gas industry to improve efficiency or reduce “carbon footprint”.
Environmentally-friendly technologies.
Students entering the commercial category are also invited to select from three topics:
Trends in energy consumption.
Alternative sources of energy for the future.
The impact of the banking crisis on capital-intensive projects in the gas industry.
The winners will be sponsored by Gastech organiser dmg world media (uk) and will attend the student programme in Abu Dhabi and have the opportunity to turn their essay into a presentation to be given as part of the student programme conference.
Essays should be sent to Lucy Garrard, student programme manager, at lucymgarrard@talktalk.net by the deadline of Friday, March 6.
Launched at Gastech 2006 in Abu Dhabi and continued at Gastech 2008 in Bangkok, the Fuelling the Future programme has hosted more than 100 students from 26 universities.
“We are delighted that many key universities around the world, including Imperial College London, Maryland, Cambridge, Hong Kong, Texas at Austin, Calgary, Ittihad, Curtin and Mehran, are making the programme known to their students on websites and by other means,” said Lucy Garrard.
“Taking place on the final two days of the event in Abu Dhabi, the student programme is dedicated to students who are interested in pursuing a career within the international gas industry following graduation.
“Applications are also considered from graduates who are on either work experience or currently in a placement programme.
“By joining us in Abu Dhabi, they can observe, first-hand, the varied issues raised by attending some of the conference sessions, as well as taking part in specially designed sessions, visiting the exhibition and taking part in networking events.”
There is a dedicated website – www.gastechstudentprogramme.com – where sponsors can make a commitment and students interested in taking part can register and opt into a dedicated Facebook community in order to blog, ask questions and pose thoughts on the LNG, LPG or natural-gas industries. According to the organiser, some 230 students have already registered hoping to be selected to be at Gastech 2009.
Further information on the programme is available on the dedicated website and from Lucy Garrard