On November 24, 2023, a Round Table was held on the topic Development of partnership between specialized educational institutions and Ukrgasvydobuvannya JSC: modern competencies for the industry. It was attended by the company's managers and representatives of 7 specialized universities.
Young professionals need to have the necessary knowledge and skills for us as an employer leaving the educational institution. Ukrgasvydobuvannya takes a proactive position on this issue and invests in training and educational initiatives.
− Ukrgasvydobuvannya strives to become a high-tech company and work on a par with other international petroleum companies. For another 25-30 years, the demand for gas will remain high. Therefore, gas production will continue to develop and be a promising industry for a career. At the same time, we must set the pace and dynamics of changes in reducing CO2 emissions and developing hydrogen technologies. A modern employee should have not only technical expertise but also soft skills (communication, teamworking, personal leadership), be able to manage projects and calculate their feasibility. Knowledge of technical English and the use of digital technologies is important. Therefore, Ukrgasvydobuvannya aims to actively participate in improving the quality of education, updating the professional standards, being a foundation for developed training programs, − Oleg Tolmachev, acting CEO of Ukrgasvydobuvannya, emphasised.
Within the framework of the Round Table, participants joined the discussion of programs aimed at developing partnerships with specialized educational institutions to eliminate gaps in the training of future petroleum-industry specialists and update educational programs for enhancement of necessary competencies.
− We cooperate with seventeen educational institutions in various programs. A new spin of this cooperation has started within the framework of the New Talents Project, aimed at development of the partnerships with specialized educational institutions, i.e., vocational schools, colleges, and universities to eliminate gaps in practical skills at production facilities. In particular, for students, we have introduced the DEEP platform, which publishes information about marathons of training lectures from Ukrgasvydobuvannya's employees, technical English courses, and competitive selections for the initial professional training programs. For example, this year we plan that 215 engineering and technical workers and 450 specialists in working areas will participate in various programs for young people. Separately, I would like to emphasise that in September we have launched a comprehensive large-scale and at the same time humane and sincere project on career guidance for young people, which purpose is not only to get acquainted with the petroleum industry and the company but to motivate young people to build a career in Naftogaz. As of today, about 1,800 students have already attended our events with great interest. Due to these projects, many young people found "their lifework", and we, in turn, were able to find "stars" who already received the job offers, − Maryna Petrenko, HR Director of Ukrgasvydobuvannya, said.
During the Round Table, the Company's management and representatives of specialized universities discussed a set of modern petroleum competencies as a basis for updating educational and training programs in geology, geophysics, drilling, field development, surface infrastructure, hydrocarbon treatment, decarbonisation, and energy management. Forming the list of competencies, the best practices of the professional community members, SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) were considered and supplemented by Ukrgasvydobuvannya's experts.
Young specialists Vasily Katrych and Rodion Moiseenko, who are already working in the company after successful internship followed by job offers, had a chance to share their thoughts on modern competencies. Veronika Boyko, a young UGV specialist, who completed an internship abroad, participating in an annual EQT program (a leading independent gas producer in the United States), shared the best international practices for competencies development.
− Such events are extremely important, because the customer, that is, the business, must determine what skills are necessary for a young specialist trained by specialized educational institutions. The world is changing rapidly: the development of high-quality technologies, productive and high-precision software, globalisation, and the exchange of global expertise. And under the new conditions, specialized education must meet modern requirements. I am confident that in cooperation with Ukrgasvydobuvannya, we will be able to work out new professional standards and train highly qualified young specialists, − Volodymyr Onyschenko, Rector of Yu. Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic NU added.