As the desire for nationalizing the work force in many Middle Eastern national oil companies increases, there is an increased need to provide suitable educational programs to produce highly qualified native engineers. While petroleum engineering university graduates in the Middle East will face many of the same technical issues as their counterparts around the world, the nature of their employment and their career progression can be significantly different. The unique structure of many of the national oil companies in the Middle East as well as the unique student pool allows and calls for the establishment of petroleum engineering education programs that may differ from programs in other regions of the world. This may involve modifying the structure and delivery of traditional courses of study. Universities in the region are faced with the challenge of developing programs that can more effectively address these unique needs while maintaining academic integrity and rigor, and meeting international standards for academic accreditation and excellence. This paper discusses the nature and needs of the regions employers and potential employees, and the response of regional academic institutions to cater to these needs. Examples are given demonstrating the efforts at some regional universities that are attempting to address the specific needs of the regional industry while achieving and maintaining international standards of excellence. Introduction The rapid evolution of the petroleum industry and its technology has necessitated a concurrent change in the petroleum engineering education process. Whereas in the past oil industry employers expected recent graduates to be competent ‘plug-and-chug’ engineers who would immediately contribute and fit into the daily work environment[1], modern day employers have additional requirements. They still want technically competent engineers with a solid understanding of the various industry technologies, but are also asking for more. The modern-day ideal petroleum engineering graduate has all of the basic technical background, but is a more complete engineer with a broad view of the industry, an appetite for lifelong learning, and the teamwork, communication and computer skills essential in today's global industry.[2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] The continued emergence of a more global petroleum industry has appropriately resulted in an increased interest and desire for awareness of the internal workings of the oil industries in the different regions. As the major oil producing region in the world, the Middle East is of particular interest. Many of this region's national oil companies are involved in their respective country's nationalization campaign, aiming to decrease dependence on foreign labor and expertise, and employ more local workers throughout the various industries. With this campaign comes a need to adequately educate large numbers of students in an efficient and timely manner. This paper discusses the various challenges, efforts and solutions addressing this increasingly critical issue, with a focus on the Arabian Gulf countries. Before delving into the specifics of the regional issues regarding petroleum engineering education, one must have a clear vision and firm grasp of the generally agreed-upon requirements for undergraduate level petroleum engineering graduates. This paper will start by describing some of the ideal characteristics of a petroleum engineering graduate, and the best ways to ensure that these objectives are met. This is followed by a description of the current nationalization efforts in the major oil producing Middle Eastern countries, and the implications of these efforts. Educational challenges specific to the native students in this region are then discussed, along with strategies to overcome these sometimes unique challenges. Efforts of the various national oil companies and regional universities are discussed and assessed, and the future of petroleum engineering education in the Middle East is explored. The Ideal Graduate The perception of what constitutes the ideal petroleum engineering graduate has changed as the oil industry has evolved. One of the key drivers of this change has been the rather steep rate of technological advancement.

One of the traditional problems associated with technical training is the disconnect between the training organization in charge of arranging and offering the training, and the line organizations whose engineers are receiving the training. This often results in somewhat random and unfocused training that is not always aligned with the current and future business needs of the company. Saudi Aramco has introduced the concept of the Professional Development Advisor (PDA), who serves as the intermediary between the line organization, management and the training organization. This paper discusses the roles and responsibilities of the PDA, as well as the organizational and administrative structure established to facilitate effective execution of the numerous PDA duties. Professional Development Advisors represent the line organizations within the training organization. They are technical experts responsible for managing the curriculum for their respective disciplines. PDAs provide technical oversight of their curriculum, ensuring that it remains current and responsive to the needs of the company. Interacting extensively with their line organization as well as the other departments in the training organization, they ensure effective integration of the various training and development components, including formal training, work assignments and e-learning. The ultimate goal of PDAs is to ensure that the structure and content of technical development programs effectively and efficiently produce competent engineers and geoscientists who can contribute to their technical organizations. Introduction One of the most frequently used phrases floating throughout the industry in the past few years relates to the changing demographics of the workforce; the "crew change" is no longer impending, it's here. The combination of increased activity, manpower shortages, and a large portion of the workforce on the verge of retirement is stretching the technical capacity of many companies. Throw in the rapid technology advancements in our industry, and the need for effective and efficient training programs is clearly critical to the success of an oil company.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax +1-972-952-9435. AbstractThis paper describes the Saudi Aramco Professional Onboarding Program (POP), a two-week multidisciplinary project-based program designed to accelerate the development of young engineers and their integration as contributors into the workforce. The POP initiates E&P new hires into the Saudi Aramco culture, serving as an initial bridge between academia and working in the company. The program is an introduction to the technical E&P environment and to the business and interpersonal skills required to be an effective and efficient professional. The project-based program provides participants the learning opportunity to develop lifelong, transferrable skills and values. The program also helps set the framework and context for future career development activities. The results of the pilot of the program will be presented, along with future plans for enhancing the program in anticipation of an E&P-wide rollout.

In recent years there has been a large focus on implementing structured competency assurance programs within large oil companies. The goal of these programs is to ensure that a company's workforce is competent to carry out the required job functions in an efficient and safe manner that will maximize the financial success of the company. Most programs involve a description of the various job functions and their required competencies, with a progression from basic knowledge to skill and mastery. By tracking employees training against competency maps, gaps in knowledge and skills are identified, and the required supplementary training is implemented to close the gaps. This training can range from classroom instruction to field assignments. In theory, once an engineer has completed the prescribed training, they will have achieved a specific competency level. However, in many cases there is no formal assessment after completing training courses to confirm that the engineer has indeed increased their competency. It is often assumed that, by virtue of completing a course or program, the engineer will then have achieved the specific skill or competency intended. This paper demonstrates the need for a more formalized assessment process to be associated with competency assurance programs to ensure that the large financial investments involved are worthwhile. Examples of existing programs are given along with suggestions on how to effectively integrate effective assessment programs. The difficulties in implementation and the resistance from engineers and managers associated with different forms of assessment are discussed, along with recommendations on how to address these concerns and maximize the return on training investments. General recommendations on how to ensure and improve the effectiveness and quality of short courses are also presented. Introduction There has always been an appreciation of the fact that a competent workforce is necessary for the success of a company in this industry. With the breakneck pace of technology development in our industry, there will always be a need for personnel development to keep up with the latest advancements, with the ability to be a lifelong learner being a necessity for survival. In the past few years, there has been much discussion about the impending "crew change" as a large portion of the industry's workforce approaches retirement. Much has been made of the apparent shortage of adequately qualified replacements for the outgoing generation, not to speak of the current manpower shortage experienced worldwide by many operating companies. The combination of all these factors suggests that having an effective personnel development program is crucial to the success of a company. Now more than ever, companies are realizing the importance of having a formal structured approach to ensuring that the workforce is competent to perform the necessary duties in an effective, efficient and safe manner that will contribute to profitability. This recognition has led to large amounts of time, effort and money invested in training and development initiatives. To achieve their goals, these efforts must include a consistent and effective means of assessing the competency of engineers and the effectiveness of the training they receive. This paper will focus on the implementation of effective assessment methods during the various stages of a company's professional development program. The need for rigorous formal assessments will be justified, and suggestions on how to develop and integrate assessments into development programs will be discussed. Some of the challenges associated with successful assessment strategies, and how to overcome these challenges, will also be addressed. These strategies will help to ensure that there is a good return on investment for the funds spent on training programs.

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