Dear Colleagues:
I picked up the attached paper from the KEGS bulletin and once having given
it read, and felt strongly that it deserved a wider audience that just the
jurisdiction (Canada) it was initially written for. The paper entitled
"Human Resources for Canadian Geoscience: Capacity Gaps and Skills Needs of
the Next Decade" is based on a workshop sponsored by the Canadian Geoscience
Council and held in Vancouver last January.
I have seen similar tracts coming out of Australia going back a decade, with
undertakings such as the Co-operative Research Centers between industry,
academia and government as a direct outcomes. It would be a shame if at some
point those studying the issue in Canada did not capture some of the
Australian experience, since I'd say our antipodean friends are at least
five years further down the track on such issues than Canada.
So as not to clog people's email 'misc' in tray too much, I'll limit myself
to a few comments/observations on the attached document.
Mining
A study which was discussed at the meeting was a survey of 46 mining
companies in Canada regards new employees, with the following points being
important criteria for companies staff:
*Geoscience skills are regarded by employers as of equal importance as the
totality of skills in computing, non-technical and soft skills
*In general, companies want geoscientists, rather than geologists or
geophysicists, etc. The need for geophysical skills is increasingly
important. Among the non-technical skills, the importance of an
understanding of ethics and of effective contribution to teamwork were
emphasized.
*Poorly rated by employers were the needs for entrepreneurial flair, risk
taking and language ability
The first two bullets sound OK but if the last one is true, I think we are
seeing a collective "loss of higher brain function" by the mining industry;
technical skills are a given but without the a strong personal desire to
succeed, an ability to secure resources for one's ideas and the
interpersonal skills to convey process and outcomes effectively, my feeling
is that success in exploration is almost impossible. The flip side is that
other businesses that revere these skills will continue to poach the
brightest and the best from the natural resource companies (before they even
see them), as it continues to re-enforce the natural resources industry
(mining at least) "smoke stack industry" status in the rest of society.
Oil Industry
Don Paul, Sr VP Technology & Environment at Chevron has often spoken about
the changes the E&P industry is going through and the impacts on the
companies and its people. Several of Paul's (Paul is a geophysicist by
training) talks are posted on the Society of Exploration Geophysicists web
site. I'd particularly refer the interested reader to a collection of papers
in the December 1998 Leading Edge, where Paul and others reflect on a number
of 'big picture' issues. There was another 'where are we going?' session
held at the Calgary SEG meeting last August and I expect to see the results
of this popping out on Leading Edge soon (Leading Edge is available
digitally at the SEG's web site www.seg.org).
One of Paul's talks I went to earlier in the year was at Colorado School of
Mines here in Denver. As he was addressing a university audience, Paul put
some special emphasis on his message to the academics and students present.
For the academics, the CGC summary seems to capture some of the same issues;
the world is changing rapidly and those in unis might find the "bus of
change" has run over them before they have even turn around. One point Paul
made was regards to where Chevron sources technology (one of the traditional
purview of the unis) is changing dramatically and unis no longer are no
longer the exclusive providers; they have to compete for industry support
with other newer R&D providers who are much 'leaner' and meaner' and focused
on successful outcomes in time frames that the E&P companies are now coming
to demand.
For the students, Paul knew he was addressing a primarily geoscience
audience and said in effect, jobs will continue to be there in exploration
and yes, those with geophysics skills will be a high status in that group.
However, he then said that the greatest opportunities in the company both in
terms of professional challenge and remuneration are now developing in the
down stream side of the business. He said that those with a combination of
geophysics and (typically commensurate) computing skills seemed to do best
in the rapidly changing business world and were in high demand in helping
Chevron transform their company as they move into the new millennium. My
impression is that at least one senior exec of the major E&P company (I
think Chevron will be #3 after they buy Texaco) is stating that they want
people with similar technical skills sets as the 46 mining companies cited
above but more importantly, who as well had the entrepreneurial verve to
work towards creating a new future for their organizations.
As always, enjoy...
Ken Witherly
CGC_2000workshop.doc
