Bill Pike, editor of this magazine, recently mentioned the large percentage of petroleum industry workers reaching retirement age and the small percentage of young workers interested in the petroleum industry. As a former member of military special operations, I thought about how difficult it is to find qualified recruits for special operations and the parallels to the petroleum industry.

In many ways, the exploration and production aspect of the petroleum industry is the mainstream corporate equivalent of special operations. The personnel involved often work in remote locations, sometimes under austere conditions, with minimal guidance from the corporate office as to day-to-day operations. Additionally, employees will sometimes be required to live away from their families for months at a time. These factors are unappealing for soon-to-be high school graduates who have the opportunity to seek business degrees and work in an office setting a few miles from home. I specifically said high school graduates instead of college graduates because this is where the future of the petroleum industry is best targeted.

Many high school graduates are looking for direction and focus. Additionally, many high school graduates are seeking adventure and really aren't sure what they want to do in life. The petroleum industry can provide focus and adventure for many of these graduates. Within the high school class are some subsets that may be more interested in the petroleum industry than others. For example, often overlooked for future executive grooming are the vocational education students. These students are fully capable of completing college. Some are simply interested in a trade instead of academics. However, a great number of these students simply can't afford college and enter vocational programs to gain employment after high school. I understand this because I didn't have the money to go directly from high school to college. Thanks to the military I now have a college degree in addition to a wealth of unique skills and an understanding of various cultures and global interaction. The petroleum industry can provide similar opportunities to these graduates.

The petroleum industry already offers scholarship programs. Most industries have programs for employees to attend night school, but a program designed to allow students to attend regular college classes in the morning and work in the afternoon might appeal to these students. It would also provide them with the money to live on.

Extreme sports participants also could be enticed into the petroleum industry. They seek adventure, they are independent, they are self-motivated and they have a high degree of self-discipline to endure the physical demand. Obviously, this wouldn't apply to the extreme sport career professionals, but it might appeal to the individual involved at the amateur level or even weekend participants. Providing information about petroleum industry programs and opportunities at these extreme sport events could aid the recruiting process.

Obviously, the military is a good recruiting ground. I talk to former combat arms people every day who feel they don't have any skills that transfer to the corporate world. They already have the money for college through the GI Bill. A program that would enable them to work and go to school would be greatly beneficial. The petroleum industry in return would have an employee with risk management skills, loyalty, a sense of duty, leadership experience, self-discipline and an understanding of teamwork.

The petroleum industry is going to have to invest in its future. Investing time and money in the right people will yield years of return on investment through a loyal work force with the ability to achieve large goals. Obviously a few will not finish the college programs and some will remain as part of the skilled labor force. Most would probably agree to work for a year without the ability to attend school as a probationary period prior to entry into a program.

Will Gunther is president of Operation Corporate Training, president@operationcorporatetraining.com

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