Thursday 14 February 2008

Passing the Baton to the Next Generation

The first ever interactive conference specifically tailored for young people in the oil and gas sector is being run by Oil & Gas UK. The Next Generation Conference, on April 23 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, will encourage delegates to think innovatively about the challenges faced by the UK oil and gas industry in its future.

The conference, sponsored by Maersk Oil, will encourage young professionals in the first ten years of their career to take a fresh look at the future direction of the UK oil and gas sector and give them a unique opportunity to have their views heard by todays captains of industry.

Companies are being invited to send delegates from a broad range of disciplines, including those with engineering, legal, financial, environment, health and safety and human resources backgrounds, to gather as broad a perspective as possible.  

The event, which is also supported by AGR Petroleum Services and Technip UK Limited, is being run for young people by young people in the oil and gas sector. The programme features four talented young speakers: Sam Howard, project manager at OPITO Oil & Gas Academy, who will challenge delegates on skills issues, Jessica Burton, one of Oil & Gas UK's business analysts, who will stimulate discussion on health and safety and Mike Mair of PSN who will explore the business and commercial drivers in a competitive UKCS; and Emily Ferguson, a geologist with Maersk Oil North Sea who will address environmental issues.

Oil & Gas UK chief executive Malcolm Webb said, "The Next Generation Conference provides an excellent opportunity for todays young people to discuss the challenges of the future and share their opinions with an industry wide audience. The event offers a unique chance for the next generation of oil and gas workers to think innovatively about the future direction of their industry, how they can influence it and ultimately the important part they can play in building its future success."

Michael Engell-Jensen, managing director of Maersk Oil, the primary conference sponsor, said: "Maersk Oil has always recognised the need to attract young people into the oil and gas industry.  We know that it is important to give them every opportunity to develop their skills and experience, and to support them in their career aspirations. The future sustainability and success of the industry will depend on our ability to create an exciting environment that rewards success and attracts the best.

"The Oil & Gas UK Next Generation Conference is an innovative event that will inspire talented young professionals from a wide range of disciplines to bring a fresh approach to tackling the challenges facing the oil and gas industry."

Delegates will be encouraged to debate the issues in the four key areas of economics, environment, skills and health and safety in facilitated break-out sessions. They will feed back their recommendations to Oil & Gas UK board members who will be taking part in the day.   The delegates opinions and conclusions from the day will be recorded and used to inform Oil & Gas UK policy decisions.

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.