Editor's note: Oceaneering's work includes robotics, aerospace and work in the rollercoaster industry. A reference to the gaming industry in the video above was made in error.
Nissa Darbonne, executive editor, Hart Energy: Welcome and thank you for joining us. We're visiting here at Executive Oil Conference in Midland with Molly Determan. Molly is president of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. First, I wanted to talk about breakthroughs in recruiting talent to the energy industry.
Molly Determan, president, Energy Workforce & Technology Council: I’d love to talk about that. Our member companies in the energy services and equipment sector are trying out a lot of different things. One of the things that they've tried out this year is they are bringing gig work to the field so that as long as people have technical certifications that they can pass, they can come in and out and work when they want to. Where the companies have been piloting this, they've found success. The only downside that they've seen so far is some additional administrative costs. But the thing that I'm most impressed by is those companies willing to share this with other companies in the sector because they want to see this be successful and they can see how this can benefit the industry.
ND: And also, at a conference not too long ago, Toby Rice at EQT, EQT of course is not a Permian operator, but Toby said that the way EQT is recruiting talent is to, and correctly, present EQT as a technology company. You're seeing a lot of uptake with that as well.
MD: Yes, and I think that our companies really do need to position themselves as technology companies. Technology has driven the oil field for forever, but people don't associate our industry with technology until they come in and they see it firsthand. And so we don't always have that advantage to be able to bring them in and let them see it firsthand. We have to do a better job of positioning ourselves in all the technology that continues to go into the industry.
ND: And technology isn't something new to this industry. This industry has used technology and created technology from its very beginning.
MD: There are a lot of things that our companies have created over the years that applies across industries like SLB. They did things for wireless technology in Europe that are still being utilized. Oceaneering has done a lot in robotics and also aerospace. Also the [rollercoaster] industry as well. So our companies are technology providers and their core business might be oil and gas, but there's technologies that are applicable across industries.
ND: Thank you very much, Molly. And thank you for joining us. Find this and more intel at hartenergy.com.
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