Young Professionals Coordinating Committee Update

The Young Professionals Coordinating Committee (YPCC) is a 15-member standing committee that is responsible for overseeing programs and activities directed toward SPE young professional members. Each SPE standing committee has a charge—consisting of its responsibilities and reason for being—that must be approved by SPE’s Board of Directors. There must be a permanent need for the committee’s function that remains the same from year to year.

There are three SPE Board committees that each oversee a number of standing committees. The YPCC reports to the SPE Board of Directors Committee on Member Programs. YPCC members are appointed by the SPE president-elect and serve 1-year terms renewable up to two times (for a maximum term of 3 years). Committee members’ terms transition at SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE).

Merger Between the YPCC and the Student Development Committee

An SPE Board Finance and Strategy Committee task force was formed in 2013 to review opportunities for SPE to streamline its overall governance structure. The task force recommended a merger between the Student Development Committee (SDC) and the YPCC, which was approved by the SPE Board at its July 2014 meeting.

The combined committee would help SPE gain a cohesive view of its growing population of young professional members and student members. The combined committee’s perspective could help SPE student members transition into the working world. The charter for the combined committee and its structure are being finalized, and the new committee will take effect starting at ATCE 2014.

Ambassador Lecturer Program

The YPCC and SDC are working together to reenergize the Ambassador  Lecturer Program (ALP), with the aim of increasing the number of Ambassador Lecturers and of improving reporting back to SPE after lectures are presented.

The reenergizing program will initially focus on the Northern Asia Pacific Region and the South, Central. and East Europe Region. If you are interested in volunteering as an Ambassador Lecturer, please contact us by email: alp@spe.org. The YPCC is also creating an online version of ALP assistance for new SPE student chapters and for new Ambassador Lecturers preparing to make an ALP visit. The video should be available in the SPE online video library later in 2014.

YP Workshop @ ATCE 2014

The YPCC organized a YP workshop that will take place during ATCE 2014. The theme for this year’s workshop is “Expanding Opportunities for YPs in Industry: Thinking Outside Technical and Managerial Roles.” This workshop provides opportunities for young professionals to learn about emerging oil and gas industry career opportunities that require a mix of technical and managerial skillsets. The workshop’s panel discussion speakers have diverse backgrounds—as entrepreneurs, researchers, leaders of new business development groups, asset managers, and career counselors. For more information, visit the ATCE 2014 website: www.spe.org/atce/2014/.

YP Network on SPE Connect

The new YP Network is being utilized as a fantastic tool for networking and knowledge sharing. Log on to connect.spe.org and see how the YP Network can benefit you in your role, your career, and even your everyday life. It’s a great way to meet peers from all over the world and share ideas that will continue to stimulate industry involvement.

SPE Bahrain Section YPs Launch Their SPE energy4me Program Outreach

As part of its initiative to educate students about the petroleum engineering profession and industry issues, the SPE Bahrain Section’s young professionals launched a program using SPE energy4me materials so they could share the facts about energy with the public and put a face on the industry. For the program, they chose the slogan “Together, we can make a difference.”

The program was kicked off at Naseem International School on 25 February 2014, which provided the SPE Bahrain Section’s YP committee with the opportunity to expand the students’ personal, intellectual, and professional horizons by teaching them about the oil and gas industry, its strategic role in Bahrain’s economy, its development, and the valuable role the students could play within it.

Students listened as several YP members shared what a typical day is like in their office. The young professional SPE members hope this might inspire the students to enroll in petroleum-related disciplines, such as petroleum engineering, geology, and exploration, because it seems a good future awaits those who graduate with petroleum-related degrees in Bahrain and around the world.