THE BATTLE FOR EXPERIENCE – Lessons From the Frontline
11-12 November 2008
London, UK
Talent is scarce, and experience is at a premium as thousands of “Baby Boomers” move into retirement. Knowledge is disappearing at the very time that technical and operating demands are increasing. The oil and gas industry is not alone in facing these issues.
As demography and attitudes of young people shift, engineering and science-based disciplines are perceived as less attractive career options. Accessing such talent and then retaining a committed and engaged workforce to ensure hard-won technical and institutional knowledge doesn’t evaporate when people leave, are very real business challenges facing our companies today. What can be done to attract, retain and leverage talent? What lessons can be learned from how various sectors approach the talent conundrum?
Last year, the industry came together in an SPE-sponsored workshop to examine the causes of the present talent shortage. This year, SPE is organising a second workshop to focus on practical steps companies inside and outside the oil and gas industry are taking to confront the talent problem and embrace the new world of work.
This fresh, dynamic, and tactical workshop is open to both line managers and senior HR professionals who are wrestling with competing pressures: how to reduce fixed headcount costs while replacing experienced veterans who are either leaving the industry or retiring in the next 3-5 years. It will be a highly practical examination of steps to address these issues. Participants will collaborate with peers from within, but perhaps as importantly, outside this sector to identify what works, what’s missing, and what can be leveraged to better advantage.