The oil and natural gas industry isn’t waiting for students to enter college before trying to interest them in a career in energy. Since the fall of 2008, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), along with various energy companies, has conducted petroleum academies in three Houston high schools. In 2009, it expanded the offering to a Fort Worth school.

Currently, some 750 Texas high school students are enrolled in the innovative program. The goal of the advanced- placement, multidisciplinary, four-year program is simple: to give the industry’s future workforce a better understanding of geology, geophysics and engineering career paths. Students receive higher-level instruction in science, math and emerging technology concepts to help them secure career opportunities in the petroleum industry.

“It makes math, science and technology more meaningful and relevant through the hands-on engineering and geosciences curriculum provided at our petroleum academies,” says Doris Richardson, director of the IPAA Education Center.

The objective is the same at each school, but the curriculum is tailored for the needs and backgrounds of the students, she says. Educating the public and policymakers about the U.S. oil and gas industry has long been a priority of the IPAA Education Foundation.

IPAA is taking these steps to engage students by providing them with the necessary resources, information and contacts to facilitate a career in oil and gas. The hope is that when they graduate they will join the petroleum workforce or continue to study engineering and geosciences at a two-year technical school or four-year college.

The petroleum academies enjoy cooperation and support from nearby universities. The Houston academies partner with Rice University’s Executive Energy Management MBA program and the University of Houston’s new petroleum engineering department, which provide guest speakers. The Global Energy Management Institute, created by the Bauer College of Business at UH, provides teacher training for the four academies. Other partners include UT-Austin, UT-Arlington, Texas Christian University, Texas A&M, Colorado School of Mines, Houston Community College Energy Institute, and Tarrant County Community College in Fort Worth.

“Students enrolled in the program get excited about the possibilities of careers in the industry,” says Richardson.

“After a year in our academy, students express genuine excitement and focus about becoming the innovators of new technology concepts that will solve the problem of our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

“Before entering the program, the only contact most of our students had with the industry was at the gas pump. When they thought about this industry, they were only aware of the hardworking roughnecks working on a dirty rig. They had no idea that math and science provide the very foundation for the energy industry. On research field trips, their eyes are big as saucers when they see the technology of this industry.”

Richardson, a retired educator who also worked 15 years in the energy industry, was named director in 2006 when the IPAA launched its Education Center in Houston to coordinate initiatives in public education and workforce expansion. The Houston native has a unique understanding of the need for educational outreach initiatives. Before joining the IPAA, she facilitated professional development workshops at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Her grandfather and great-grandfather were wildcatters in Texas, and her father owned an oil-services company.

High school students who apply for the petroleum academy must have and maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average and be eligible for Advanced Placement courses in math and science.

In return, the students receive an education that is roughly equivalent to a college associate’s degree, while still in high school.

Petro challenges

In addition to classroom training, students benefit from guest lectures by industry representatives, field trips, and participation in competitions and internships. For example, at Houston’s Lamar High School, petroleum academies students won first place at a regional robotics competition. Milby High School students designed the world’s first “Lego” android. Westside High students won first place at an IPAA/Houston Independent School District Career and Technology contest.

Students from the Houston high schools also competed in the “Petro Challenge” at the University of Houston, which involved two-day computer-simulated competitions. Each team played the role of an energy company entering new oil and natural gas fields. Their challenge was to maximize virtual investment. Teams simulated numerous activities: they studied seismic surveys, bid for licenses, competed for rigs, contracted for service programs and chose well locations.

Learning doesn’t end with the conclusion of the school year. This summer, about 150 students from the petroleum academies will join the IPAA Student Externship Training Program. To enter, students must be rising seniors with at least a 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) who plan to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry. Last summer, 51 Milby High School students seeking academic scholarships, all planning to enroll in college to pursue a career in the oil and natural gas industry, participated in the summer program. Milby is a 10th-through-12th-grade academy, and the other three programs are 9th through 12th. Since the program only began in 2008, Milby students were the first incoming seniors to participate in the externship program.

The petroleum academies are funded through the IPAA Education Foundation, which also supports programs that educate the public about the significant contributions the industry makes to the U.S. economy and society. The foundation, which was formed in 1997, provides grants to charitable and educational programs, particularly programs related to energy education, and provides financial support for efforts to build tomorrow’s oil and gas industry leaders.

The petroleum academies have enjoyed the enthusiastic support of IPAA’s president and chief executive officer, Barry Russell, as well as the IPAA’s board of directors and numerous oil and gas companies, Richardson says. The annual Wildcatters Ball in Houston is the primary industry fundraising event for the foundation, with the IPAA’s Petroleum Academy Executive Board also sponsoring academy educational initiatives.

The effort to train and recruit future industry leaders has become increasingly important as the current workforce ages. The average worker is more than 50 years old, and it is projected that some 40% of the people currently working in the energy industry will retire during the next 10 years.