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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

The future energy leader: a millennial dilemma

Polly Mahapatra A *
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- Author Affiliations

A Chevron Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.

* Correspondence to: pmahapatra@chevron.com

The APPEA Journal 62 S302-S305 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21028
Accepted: 23 February 2022   Published: 13 May 2022

© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.

Abstract

Undoubtedly, there is an industry-wide urgent need to build a strong talent pipeline for the future, especially in the face of climate change. The future energy leader must be multi-faceted and exceptionally skilled, with the further challenge to be able to humanise the industry. They must balance the need for energy affordability and security alongside climate neutrality and articulate this complex industry to those outside of it. While there is a general industry consensus that finding appropriate talent to plug these gaps is becoming increasingly difficult, little work has been done in the space of practical, implementable solutions to solve this issue. With current data suggesting an aging workforce and high percentage of industry retirements at our doorstep, the time is appropriate for research into the problem at hand. This paper methodically outlines the current dilemma being faced in the recruitment and retention of young professionals, with particular emphasis on the data trends and higher education statistics as relevant to the local demographic of Perth, Western Australia. The paper will also suggest what future skills should be prioritised in order to progress industry goals. This paper outlines the strategies that Chevron Australia has leveraged in order to tackle this issue including, but not limited to, industry engagement, university engagement, human capital trends and predictive analytics. This paper includes example case studies from within Chevron Australia used to tackle this issue with an aim to apply the strategies on an industry-wide scale to come to a collective resolution.

Keywords: energy transition, future pipeline of talent, generation Z, graduate employment, millennials, oil and gas workforce, recruitment, retention, talent pipeline, workforce transition.

Polly Mahapatra is currently a Systems Completion Engineer on the Gorgon Stage 2 project at Chevron. Recently nominated as a finalist for the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy ‘Outstanding Young Woman of the Year’ 2020 award, and WA Business News’ 40under40 Award, her true passion lies in innovation in the oil and gas industry. Polly has previously worked on various Major Capital Projects for Chevron, including Gorgon, Wheatstone and the CO2 Sequestration Project. She is passionate about improving efficiencies and the application of novel project management ideologies in the world of Capital Projects. Her expertise and experience is in the topic of strategic innovation and how to intertwine digital tools and new ways of working to optimise the delivery of industrial-scale, multi-billion Capital Projects. She is published in the APPEA Journal (2021) and is currently undertaking research in the space of workforce development into the energy and resources sector.


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