François Viaud

John Donnelly
T&T Editor

What can the oil and gas industry do in the immediate future to bridge the demographic gap that is emerging?

It is a fact that the workforce market is very tight, particularly for experienced personnel. Will this gap occur soon? Nothing is certain yet. First of all, it is likely that some of our most senior staff members will be keen to work -longer than initially planned before retiring. Furthermore, the recruitment drive was given a boost a few years ago owing to increased activity and also in anticipation of this -demographic phenomenon. Immediate actions to be initiated, sustained, and enhanced can be presented as a triptych: Be proactive in our relations with universities; maintain our recruitment efforts and adapt our training programs; and, overall, work on the image of the oil and gas industry, where there is definitely room for improvement.

How closely does Total work with universities and educational programs?

Total has initiated several diversified actions in this area, which can be illustrated though a number of examples.
» Our involvement in establishing education programs.
For instance, Total E&P Angola played a part in creating a post-graduate training curriculum in oil and gas under the aegis of the IFP and Luanda U. Total helped define the content of the program and provided additional instructors, including employees from Total E&P Angola. For those disciplines that cannot be learned through the Angolan education system, we offer students the opportunity to follow the necessary modules in Portuguese universities. This can last several years. Approximately 100 Angolan students currently are benefiting from this initiative.

Also, in Africa, our Nigerian E&P subsidiary finances master’s degree training in oil and gas at the Port Harcourt U. Inst. of Petroleum Studies, which grants degrees recognized by IFP. Because its petroleum expertise is valuable to many stakeholders, including government organizations, the institute has started running a second course.
In the United Arab Emirates, Total is a partner of The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, alongside state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. Created in 2000, the institute delivers a 5-year program offering education in oil industry disciplines to 150 students a year. We also have kicked off a number of actions in Asia, particularly in Indonesia.

» Our partnership to develop and share technology.
As an illustration, in Qatar, we helped create the Qatar Science and Technology Park in 2004. By providing a home for international technology companies, the park aims to share and spread scientific and technical knowledge and encourage small and medium-sized Qatari technology startups.

» The “Total Professeurs Associés” initiative.
This association was created in 2001 with Total’s support to foster interaction and exchanges between the petroleum industry and top schools and universities. Through the program, 192 professors who are current or former Total employees teach in higher-education institutions. More than 4,000 half-days of instruction have been provided since the association was created, and 120 schools and universities in France are involved, along with schools in 30 other countries.

» Total University programs.
These programs, founded just over a year ago, cover a wide range of initiatives. Among them are the Total 1-week program (a summer school), which last year hosted 54 students from schools and universities worldwide. During the week-long course, students analyzed and discussed economics, geopolitics, the future of energy, climate change, and corporate social responsibility, with the participation and input of 30 Total managers and outside experts. Most of these students will have an opportunity to extend their experience through internships and join Total’s recruitment pool.

The second section of your triptych concerns recruitment. Has Total changed its strategy over the past few years regarding recruitment of young people?

Total increasingly is targeting high schools and universities. As far as E&P is concerned, we currently are recruiting from approximately 300 different institutions, and our process is becoming more and more international. We are working hand in hand with our affiliates, which are acting as actual recruitment hubs through their contacts with local universities, not only for their own needs but also for the benefit of the entire company. It is also worth mentioning the great success of our careers website. In 2006, we received 150,000 unsolicited applications through it. This represents a tremendous pool for recruitment.

Total is very active in Africa. Are there any special programs in place there for recruitment?

Our recruitment strategy runs alongside our partnerships in the education and training programs. Recruitment has to be seen as the achievement of a long-term education program in which companies improve the preparation of the skills they require. Nigeria is a good example—20 students from Port Harcourt who received master’s degree training in oil and gas were hired by Total in 2006.

Unlike most companies in western Europe and North America, Total is the only large oil and gas concern in its country. What advantages or disadvantages does this have in recruiting?

As far as France is concerned, we have a relatively specific national education system comprising no fewer than 250 engineering high schools that are very much focused on technology in different disciplines. Approximately 28,000 engineers graduate every year through this channel. This provides quite a significant recruitment pool for industry technological careers

Another of Total’s peculiarities is that it is now ranked among the top five international companies and yet has emerged from a country having few oil and gas fields on its own soil. It is equally amazing to see how many French service and engineering companies or institutes have grown in the same context. This means that any young French candidate who applies for a job in our companies is well prepared for an international career. This is a trump card in the deployment of our mobility strategy and enhances the effect of our internationalization strategy.

That said, one of the stumbling blocks may be the language barrier, because English is not the reference language in France; this may dissuade English graduates, though naturally, training in foreign languages is part of our global system.

What is the average age of Total’s employees?

Concerning E&P personnel, the average age is around 46 years, much the same as for most E&P organizations. This is the current picture, which is set to change over time, as massive recruitment programs are under way. Three out of four new recruits are under 35.

What programs does Total have in place to address internal training and knowledge transfer?

We pay special attention to the integration of young new hires. Obtaining the necessary skills as quickly as possible is a major challenge. To achieve this, we have developed a number of complementary tools. As a common principle, each new hire follows a personalized curriculum to fill the gap between initial and expected levels in technical and soft skills. Experience in both engineering and operational contexts is necessary to train a good professional

In 2003, in the geosciences area, we launched the “Training Passport” approach. The program lasts 6 months, staggered over a 3-year period. It can also be qualified as a blended learning approach because it combines remote and on-site classrooms, use of e-facilities, and good-quality distance coaching by senior mentors. Great emphasis is given to interaction among professional disciplines. This methodology, applied in affiliates as well as at head offices, has proved its efficiency and demonstrated an increased flexibility for integration in operational contexts, improved assimilation of knowledge, and development of learners’ abilities for collaborative team working. Knowledge is the only resource that increases when we share it!

Another kind of program is based on our on-the-job training policy. Over a period of 6 years, young professionals take advantage of the opportunity to be assigned alternately to three different technical entities for 2 years in each. To ensure that our wide range of requirements is covered, the sequence is not universal. It could be process/production/projects, or process/production/R&D, or even process/well performance/reservoirs. This enhances the multidisciplinary understanding of our teams. Of course, we also pay careful attention to acquiring the necessary in-depth expertise in each technical field. An example of a typical curriculum might be: process engineering/process R&D/process in a project to prepare our future process experts. In addition, theoretical contributions are added throughout the training period.

The situation of each young professional involved is carefully examined about three times a year by a dedicated curriculum committee. At the end of this 6-year period, each professional has a personal technical backbone on which to base his or her career. This kind of program originally was open only to young recruits at head offices but is now being extended to Nigeria, Angola, and Indonesia.

Other, more focused, on-the-job programs also are used involving our personnel as well as those from operating companies with which we are involved and from our partner national oil companies. This requires a huge mentoring effort. In E&P, all in all, 7,000 days of mentoring are chalked up per year, given by approximately 100 senior mentors. Despite the colossal efforts involved, this is actually a valuable investment for the future.

We also run special induction programs for newcomers. These are designed to present and explain our organization and our values.

What is the “Planète Energies” program you have developed, and what is its goal?

Total launched “Planète Energies” to improve young people’s knowledge of energy issues and to stimulate discussion. It is an educational initiative targeting 10- to 18-year-olds and their teachers. By presenting information on the energies of today and tomorrow (not only oil and gas), and developing their outlook on the economic, environmental, and other issues involved, the project aims to make young people more aware of the challenges associated with oil exploration and alternative energy sources, as well as their role as responsible citizens of the planet.

By providing information and resources through the www.planete-energies.com website in both French and English, classroom presentations by energy professionals, and tours of our facilities, we are educating children and adolescents about energy issues and making their lessons more exciting and easier to understand. And, who knows, we may even encourage some of them to consider a career in energy.

How has the general context of our industry changed the role of human resources (HR) staff?

In the past, HR may have been considered an administrative function in companies, but things have completely changed. Today, it is clear that the HR department has to work hand in hand with business. A project can fail because of an HR oversight, and progress is moving so fast that needs have to be identified as early as possible. HR issues now are a crucial aspect of the long-term plan that we regularly prepare.

In our Nigerian subsidiary, for instance, we are expanding our workforce from approximately 1,000 to 1,600 in 5 years, using essentially national resources. For Yemen liquefied-natural-gas projects, in which we are heavily involved, an entire industrial structure of approximately 700 people has been set up from scratch in the space of 3 years. This would not have been possible without what we could call a “bit” of HR engineering.

In the same way, to go along with these projects, HR must be an actual operational function that reacts to and acts on new situations or problems. But in this context, one essential statement holds true—people remain the major resource of a company. Its strengths and achievements depend on them. To give their best, people need to be happy in the present and have a positive vision of their future through individualized career plans, and this always will be one of the core concerns of the HR staff.

FRANÇOIS VIAUD is Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Communication for Total E&P. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TotalFinaElf USA. Viaud began his career in 1978 as a drilling engineer with Elf Aquitaine with stints in France, Oman, Norway, and Guatemala. He later became a Reservoir Manager in Norway and was Operations Manager in Elf U.K., Elf Angola, and Elf Congo. In 1996, Viaud was appointed Deputy Director and then Managing Director of Elf Nigeria. After the merger between Total, Elf, and Fina, he became President and CEO of TotalFinaElf USA. Viaud is a graduate of École Polytechnique and the L'Inst. Français du Pétrole(IFP).