Mentoring in the oil and gas industry

This paper is about the mentoring of graduate engineers in the oil and gas industry. The paper starts by defining what measurable success should look like for graduates, and outlines a 5-year plan leading to professional membership of Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Key steps en route are defined as technical competency, ICE membership, understanding the business and technical excellence. The author and other senior professionals developed two uniquely appropriate training courses, one at graduate entry level and the other at advanced level. These courses were used to train many graduates and other engineers in the essential skills and techniques of oil and gas structural engineering. The courses were produced and delivered freely, in the spirit of ‘learned society’ and ‘passing on the faith’ and were tremendously well received. References include recent ICE and Institution of Structural Engineers proceedings papers around the topic of ‘what should be taught in structural engineering design?’. Most of the literature comes from the academic side; this paper comes from a practitioner’s perspective. The principles involved can be readily applied to all branches of civil engineering.