Abu Dhabi schools to nominate UAE energy ambassadors

Young ADIPEC Ambassador's

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 programme 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 and 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.”

Gender gap

According to the 2013/2014 UAE Higher Education Factbook, 17 % 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 %.

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.

Workplace experience

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 Specialised 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.”

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/special-reports/14092015/abu-dhabi-schools-to-nominate-uae-energy-ambassadors/