Abstract:

Petroleum has been a major driver of the world’s industrialization and oil and natural gas will continue to be dominant energy sources far into the future. Oil and gas account for the largest share of revenues of many countries. As awareness increases on the need to prevent global warming and pollution, attentions are being shifted to renewable energy sources. However, the rate of achieving commensurate energy at the same cost as oil and gas has been very slow. Alternatively, nuclear power has proven to be a carbon-free energy source, but it has its own difficulties in waste disposal and management. Thus, oil and natural gas still have higher probabilities of remaining the major sources of the world’s energy. This is also favored by recent trends and advancements in technologies for reducing carbon-based emissions from oil and gas energy systems. This paper presents a vertical education enhancement (VEE) model for advancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and research in academic institution that focuses on workforce development and training for petroleum, oil and gas, and allied industries. The VEE model has underlying interwoven components that include 1) curriculum and mentoring that adapts to present and emerging markets, 2) research and external funding, and 3) partnerships and collaborations of academic institutions, petroleum and allied industries, government entities, and local and international communities. The approach addresses the need to effectively integrate vertical levels of academics in a career progression that produces well-skilled workforce that is technology-savvy, innovative, diverse, and adaptive, while promoting entrepreneurship and environmental-friendly technologies. The model has a periodic assessment process with feedback mechanism for continuous improvement.

Keywords:

STEM Workforce, Petroleum, Oil and Gas, Natural Gas, Allied Industries, Workforce Development, Periodic Assessment, Curriculum, Energy, Entrepreneurship.