Matriz

The SPE Technical Knowledge for Graduating Engineers Matrix
SPE Talent Council
Tom Blasingame
Introduction Based on the perception of a need to define specific skills that graduates should possess, the SPE Talent Council conducted a study of university curricula as well as industrial expectations regarding the technical knowledge of recent graduates in petroleum engineering. A matrix of"technical knowledge sets" was created using data from numerous universities, where particular attention was placed on knowledge outcomes. These technical knowledge sets were used to create a survey that was sent to a wide variety of of companies in the E&P sector (integrated oil companies (IOC's), national oil companies, (NOC's), and service/technology providers. Companies were asked to rank eachknowledge set as follows: ● "Required" (indispensible), ● "Valued" (desired, but not necessary), or ● "Not required" (not necessary or not applicable). The long-term objective of the SPE Graduate Technical Knowledge Matrix is that this serves as a reference tool for industry, academia, and students. The matrix is not meant to be definitive with reference to curriculum criteria, entry-level hiringrequirements, or student self-assessment — nor should the matrix is be seen as any component of the accreditation process for assessing university programs in Petroleum Engineering. The matrix as it exists today is simply a mechanism to gather information and to disseminate reference points for the use and benefit of industry, academia, and students. Definitions The following defines classification ofresponse in the initial survey and matrix: ● Required: The basic knowledge that companies see as a foundation technology knowledge set for newly hired petroleum engineering graduates ● Valued: The technical knowledge set that, while not required of new hires, it is none-the-less valued by employers. ● "Not Required: The technical knowledge set that is NOT required by industry (or is notapplicable) with regard newly hired petroleum engineering graduates. Development Principles The matrix was constructed from an exhaustive review of industrial and academic sources, as well as using input from expert-level colleagues in industry. In particular, university curricula and learning outcomes were compiled around the knowledge sets in general engineering and various technical disciplines withinpetroleum engineering. In addition, targeted personnel in industry were asked to provide technical knowledge sets in their area of expertise which they believe should be required, valued, or not required of new petroleum engineering graduates. SPE staff and resources were then utilized in producing the survey and tabulating the results. Development Process The SPE Talent Council charged asubcommittee from a diversified group of participants from industry and academia for this effort. It was recognized that the matrix would need to be a "living" document (i.e., not a static set of criteria). As such processes have been implemented to ensure continued updating, revision, and resurveying. A survey was created and sent to 109 companies (including international and national oil companies, aswell as mid-size companies and companies in the service sector). The participation rate was approximately 51 percent, which stands to validate the results in the survey. Conclusions The survey response to the proposed SPE Graduate Technical Knowledge Matrix suggests that the E&P sector of the petroleum industry assigns essential value to specific technical knowledge sets for petroleum engineeringgraduates. In particular, it is absolutely clear that graduates in petroleum engineering must have a solid foundation in breadth knowledge and engineering skill sets. The survey responses clearly reflect a desire for graduates in petroleum engineering to have a practical knowledge of field practices and operations, as well as a working knowledge of the foundations of petroleum engineering —...