ISPG webinar notes; Professional employment trends in the oil & gas sector.
On the 7th April, the Indonesian Society of Petroleum Geologists [ISPG] undertook day 2 of; “The 4th ISPG Research Forum” with the overall theme of “Recognizing Indonesia’s Geoscience Challenges; Towards 12 BSCFPD and 1 MMBOPD in 2030. The afternoon session included the themes; 1) challenges in filling a generation gap in upstream oil and gas industry, and 2) Preparing the upcoming generation of leaders in the oil and gas industry. The virtual session that was held in Indonesian, with some English. Some 60 persons were watching via You Tube live video. Slide presentations may become available at a later date. These are personal notes and I apologise for any omissions or errors.
Nine Novisundari; HR Operations manager – Petrogas (Basin) Ltd. Co-Founder HR Migas community.
Numerous slides on the talent gap, outlining Explicit verses Tacit Knowledge, and estimates suggest there will be a global talent deficit of 85 million by 2030. The nature of work is changing, such as past Data entry clerks will become Data analyst etc. Fundamental knowledge will also require critical thinking, problem solving etc, and the path to advancement will less based on seniority, but more on Knowledge, Attitude and Skills (technical & soft) etc. Recruiters are looking at top soft skill for in 2021 include Growth mindset, Continuous learning, Flexibility, Dedication etc. Leadership soft skill sets include being agile, creating great work environment, opportunism, and best practice processes.
Muhammad Burhannudinnur; President of IAGI spoke on “Preparing the upcoming generation of leaders in the O&G Industry”.
The geologist field of minerals and associated related topics are ever widening and becoming more complicated, with new goals imposed through multinational organizations, such as the Sustainable Development Goals [SDG] etc. Indonesia needs oil & gas geologists to reach the 2030 targets of being relatively self-sustaining in oil & gas. There is a global gas glut that is likely to continue for some time. A 2020 IAGI survey indicates most geologist are engaged in the mining industry, second most in the MIGAS, then unemployed followed by education, others and government. Most geologists are in the 21-40 age group, with significant numbers retiring above 70. In 2019, Indonesia has some 421 lecturers in geology for 9,450 students, while there are 205 lecturers in geophysics for 3,998 students. The number of Indonesian geologists in 2019 is 18,696 wherein going forwards the trend of increasing numbers of geologists is expected to flatten out. Matching the university curriculum to industry needs requires a design backwards approach, that includes reorientation of the curriculum (including such topics as entrepreneurship etc), hybrid learning techniques, and establish a life long learning program / attitude, multi discipline etc. Measuring competency in geoscience skills is important for educators and industry. New technology such as virtual field trips will expand teaching tools.
John H. Simamora; President of IATMI (Pertamina) spoke on “Talent Development Sub-holding Upstream”.
The Indonesian oil & gas industry is belt tightening in response to international (price / alternative energy) and domestic (currency exchange) pressures on its declining production from mature assets. New technology is also making changes to the traditional way of working in the oil & gas industry. The demography consists of 1.7% Generation Z, 52% Generation Y (millennials), 45% generation X and 1.8% baby boomers. Competency is made up of the Leadership and Technical lines of development. The industry grows through experiences (70%), through interacting with other professionals (20%) and through formal training sources (10%). Pertamina has several leadership development programs. Out of 200 applicants in one year, typically only 12 are ideal, but Pertamina policy is to hire 10 fresh graduates. Almost no other oil & gas companies operating in Indonesia take on fresh graduates, due to budget constraints, and urgent need to focus on mature professional to perform. The Pertamina recruitment process includes assessment of technical competence, along with psychological tests of soft skills, such as eagerness to learn. An important factor with Generation Z is finding people who will be “tough enough and loyal for Pertamina”.
A personal note; there is a well-recognized trend in recruiting; - to employ people who are like us. Therein HR departments may under appreciate the core technical skills, and fill the company with people who actually cannot do the essential professional works!!