Abu Dhabi - MENA Herald: Held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Young ADIPEC will offer students from schools across Abu Dhabi an exciting line-up of events designed to encourage youth to choose a career path in the oil and gas industry.
The outreach program is part of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), one of the world’s leading energy events and a global meeting place for oil and gas professionals, business leaders, and decision makers.
New for 2015 is a dedicated Young ADIPEC Ambassador’s Programme. Each participating school will nominate a student ambassador who will represent Young ADIPEC among his or her classmates, friends, and family. The aim of this newly developed role is to raise awareness of the programme to fellow students and offer the community insight about the many opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, Director of Strategy & Coordination at ADNOC and ADIPEC 2015 Chairman, said: “Increasing the uptake of engineering as a career path among Emirati students is still a challenge for the local oil and gas industry, but Young ADIPEC is committed to overcoming this hurdle by working with the industry to inspire young nationals to be at the forefront of future visions for the energy sector that will have an impact worldwide.”
According to the 2013/2014 UAE Higher Education Factbook, 17 per cent of Emirati students were enrolled in an engineering programme during that academic year. This figure falls to 13 per cent for female Emirati students, while for male students it stands at 24 per cent.
Aimed at high school students between the ages of 14 and 17, Young ADIPEC is designed to highlight the wealth and diversity of career opportunities in the energy sector. Over 400 students from across the UAE have passed through the programme since its inception in 2013, and the 2015 edition will host approximately 320 students from 16 private and government schools.
Students will have an exciting opportunity to get hands-on experience during trips to oil field sites, training centres, innovation centres, as well as workshop and manufacturing facilities belonging to leading oil and gas companies, including the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations Ltd., (ADCO), Al Mansoori Specialized Engineering, Al Mazroui Engineering, Borouge, the National Drilling Company, The Petroleum Institute, Schlumberger, Total, and Weatherford.
“It is crucial for the future development of any country to have its nationals working across all fields and sectors of its economy,” said Mr Wael Agha, Managing Director of Al Mazroui Engineering. “Empowering today’s youth with the required expertise and skillset is the only sure-fire way they will succeed and thrive both personally and professionally in this knowledge-based economy.”
Students will also be invited to participate in the Oil & Gas Identity Competition, sponsored by Total. This new competition will offer them an opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals needed for successful entry into the industry. For this competition, students will be asked to select a specialisation within the industry, such as geology or engineering, and then identify an individual who works within the selected field to understand the job profile. Once completed, students will need to submit an entry including a photo of the profiled professional, and a brief write-up detailing what they have learnt from this experience. The top three submissions will be announced as winners during the show and prizes will be distributed.
Following significant success, the Young ADIPEC Photo Competition, sponsored by ARDECO, is back, this time with ‘Innovation and Sustainability’ as the theme. Innovation is the key to the ongoing sustainable development and future success of the industry. Worldwide, innovation drives technology, which drives competitive advantage, which ultimately drives sustainability. To understand what this means to tomorrow’s leaders, students are being invited to capture how they see innovation and sustainability through the lens of their cameras, and to take the time to explore how the two drive the world around them. The competition is open to all students between the ages of 11 to 18 across the UAE, and is split into four categories: boys 11-14 and 15-18, and girls 11-14 and 15-18.
Students wishing to participate in the Oil & Gas Identity Competition or the Young ADIPEC Photo Competition should submit their entries to youngadipec@dmgeventsme.com before Thursday, 15 October. Judging will take place on 29 October, and the 3 shortlisted entries from each age group will be displayed onsite at the Young ADIPEC stand and on social media. Winners and runners up will collect their prizes on November 11 at 4pm at the Young ADIPEC stand located in Hall 14.
A host of other experiential activities taking place at the Young ADIPEC stand during the event will raise the bar for edutainment, with five Experience Zones designed to keep students engaged and informed.
The Oil & Gas Theatre Zone, a state-of-the-art 360-degree dome with digital laser projection, will serve as an incredible audio visual guide to the oil and gas industry for young students. The five zones also include The Petroleum Institute Educational Zone, where students will be invited to carry out live experiments, a Video Wall, which will display filmed diaries from the school field trips, as well as dedicated walls showcasing the shortlisted entries for the Photo Competition and the Oil & Gas Identity Competition.
The sponsors of Young ADIPEC are ADNOC, Arab Development Company, Al Mazroui Engineering, ExxonMobil, Partex Oil & Gas, Total, and Weatherford.
For more information on Young ADIPEC, please visit the ADIPEC website at www.adipec.com.
