Ambassador Lecture Program

SPE Young Professionals share their career development in the industry with students at secondary schools and universities

About the Ambassador Lecturer Program

The Ambassador Lecturer Program (ALP) is an initiative run by the Student Development Committee to help educate, inform, and develop the skills of the next generation of oil and gas professionals. Young Professionals (YPs) visit universities and secondary schools in their region to help disseminate information about the E&P industry, answer students’ questions, and share their professional experiences.

Benefits for Schools & Universities

  • Provide career guidance and support to students
  • Receive up-to-date information about the upstream oil and gas industry
  • Hear real-life, unbiased experiences from local young professionals

Benefits for Lecturers

  • Gain experience presenting to large crowds
  • Gain leadership skills while volunteering

 

If you are an SPE Member and a young professional (under 36 years old), you are eligible to become an Ambassador Lecturer. While some presentation experience is good to have, it is not required—this should be a chance for you to develop and enhance your skills.

To become a registered volunteer, simply apply by finding the “Ambassador Lecturer” position in the Volunteer Opportunities page. All submissions are vetted before approval. Once part of the SPE League of Volunteers you will receive volunteer appreciation points for the lectures you give.

If selected as a lecturer

  • You can download the online resources to help with your presentation.
  • SPE can put you in contact with the local section and/or school to arrange logistics for your visit.
  • SPE will submit your name to local schools and chapters in your region when a lecturer is requested.

As a lecturer, you will

  • Create a 30-45 minute presentation (slide templates available) covering these themes:
    • Your career development from graduation to the present
    • Promotion of the industry
    • How SPE has helped your career
  • Give the presentation as arranged with the school or university.
  • Register your event via the Lecturer Feedback Survey.

Program Follow-Up

Once a lecture has been completed, the lecturer is required to complete the Lecturer Feedback Form, so that the lecture can be recorded to our international records and be considered for the ALP Awards, please take a moment to complete this short survey. We value your feedback.

If multiple visits have been completed, you can also email the following details:

  • Lecturer details (name, email address, SPE membership number)
  • Name and location of school/university
  • Date of visit
  • Approximate attendance
  • Contact of organizer at school or university

Please email us if you have any questions.

Bringing an Ambassador Lecturer to your school or university is a great way for your students to learn about careers in the upstream oil and gas industry.

SPE offers lectures by young professionals who have recently transitioned from student to working professional. Presentations typically last between 30 and 45 minutes and will include:

  • An introduction to the upstream petroleum industry or a specific discipline
  • Real-life experience from a recent graduate who will discuss the challenges of job searching, the skills needed to perform job, and what the job entails
  • Information about the benefits of establishing an SPE Student Chapter and the resources available to SPE members.

To request a visit, please email us with the following details:

  • Name and location of your school/university
  • Date required for your visit
  • Time required for your visit
  • Age of your audience

We will put you in touch with a local Ambassador Lecturer volunteer, or an SPE Section will arrange a visit.

Please email us if you have any questions.

Once selected as an Ambassador Lecturer you can use the following resource documents to support your presentation. This includes guidance on how to set up an ALP visit, presentation tips and an ALP Presentation template.

You can add slides, delete slides, change the order of slides and change the wording as appropriate. You are able to use these resources as much or as little as you would like as long as you cover the requirements of the presentation.

Resources Documents

You may wish to incorporate additional information in your presentation:

Contact us if you have any questions about available resources.

Each year, we like to showcase the hard work of our lecturers and sections who host ALP visits all over the world. At the end of each year, the section with the most ALP visits is awarded with the ALP Outstanding Achievement Award.

For your section to be considered for this award and plaque, make sure to submit all your visits via the Lecturer Feedback Survey.

Year

Section

2021

Port Harcourt Section

2020

Lagos Section

2019

Port Harcourt Section

2018

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Section

2017

Benin City Nigeria Section

2016

Brazil Section

2015

Brazil Section

2014

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Section

2013

Port Harcourt Section

2012

Mumbai Section

2011

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Section

2010

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Section

FAQs

ALP visits can either be requested by a school or university (regardless of whether it has an established SPE Student Chapter), individual students, or arranged by the SPE Section.  

Students – Contact your SPE Chapter Faculty Advisor who can help request a young professional to give a lecture. If your school does not have an SPE contact ask your Department Head to request a visit by emailing us at alp@spe.org.

Lecturers – You can register to become an Ambassador Lecturer through the League of Volunteers. Once you are approved, you will be listed as an Ambassador Lecturer in your area. You can actively work with your local section and chapter to arrange a visit directly.

School/Universities – If you want to arrange a visit to your school, university, or student chapter, please contact your alp@spe.org or your SPE Section to request a suitable SPE Young Professional to speak.

SPE Sections – Contact alp@spe.org for a list of registered lecturers in your area. If you already have a suitable lecturer you can also work with schools, universities or SPE Chapters in your region to arrange a visit directly.

Ambassador Lecturers must meet these requirements:

  • Be an SPE Member (age 35 or under), who participates in young professional activities through their SPE Section.
  • Should have some experience in presenting and engaging with a student audience, either within their company or through other activities. Extensive presentation experience is not required.

You can register to become an Ambassador Lecturer through the SPE League of Volunteers. Once approved, you will be given access to the Ambassador Lecturer Community on SPE Connect, as well as listed as a lecturer for your area.

The purpose of the program is to:

  • Get university students excited about being part of the E&P industry
  • Provide a glimpse into career opportunities and cutting-edge technologies
  • Highlight the benefits of being an SPE Member

Presentations are expected to be 30-45 minutes.

Once a lecture has been completed, we require that the lecturer or the SPE Section complete the Lecturer Feedback Survey so that we can track the number of visits taking place. If you would like to submit multiple visits at one time, you can email the following details for each visit:

  • Lecturer details (name, email address, SPE membership number)
  • Name and location of school/university
  • Date of visit
  • Approximate attendance

Yes. First, you need to register to be an Ambassador Lecturer through League of Volunteers. Once you have submitted the Lecture Survey form and your lecture is verified we will allocate volunteer points to your SPE Volunteer Profile.

There is no limit to how many lectures you can give. However, you can only claim expenses up to USD 100 per visit. You can only claim ALP visits which have been submitted via the Lecturer Feedback Survey, meet the requirements and have been verified by the host. We encourage you to visit multiple schools when you can.

No, regional lectures to schools and universities can be given in the local language.

Presentations can be found on our ALP community on SPE Connect. You will be given access to this once you are a registered volunteer.