Downsized Multiskilling Program for Geoscience Students to Petro-Technical Professionals: How a Novel Integration-Based Cross Disciplinary Training for Interns Allows Reinforcing the Technical Competencies for Future Geoscience Workforce

Abstract

This paper describes a tailored multiskilling training program, newly designed for a group of students interns from different disciplines, that is based on the integration of different geoscience domains, leading to reinforce the technical competencies for future Petro-Technical workforce. The program was inspired by an initiative launched for experienced geoscientists from different disciplines (Geophysics, Geology, Petrophysics, Petroleum ...), planning to move or recently joined a consultancy team, to help understand the full picture of consulting projects. This program was downsized and re-tailored for MSc geoscience students. While traditionally each intern works on a specific project or thematic of his domain with a mentor from his discipline (i.e. Geology student with a Geologist ...), the cross disciplinary program assumes a group of students from different domain working together as one team, for 3-6 months internship, on a single integration-based project (Field Development Plan "FDP" in our case), during that period they will be supervised by mentors for each domain. Unlike conventional training program for students, as described in the previous section, the cross disciplinary approach allows each student to benefit from a theoretical courses-based learning in the form of class or web-based training for his domain, of course, as well as for other geoscience sub-disciplines, this is coupled with practical workshops and software learning/manipulation sessions. Hence, the intern will enrich his knowledge on other domains that were not necessarily covered during university courses. Looking outside of this mono-domain circle will help understanding what others are doing, how are they doing it, why are they doing it ... simply understand the way of thinking of each other across a consulting project team. The real benefit goes beyond that, in fact students from this program, when hired as Petro-Technical geoscientists, will easily integrate consultancy team of any size, know exactly what they have to do and why. The experience has demonstrated its effectiveness in preparing the future technical workforce. The cross-disciplinary training program for a group of students from different domains working on a unique project, is a new concept that has never existed before. In addition, for the first time ever, university has granted these students (although from different departments) to present their MSc graduation projects together as a single project in front of a larger technical committee to cover all the disciplines.