In late 2017, Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research firm, published its report regarding the challenge of connecting employers and educators in the oil and gas industry in the Marcellus and Utica shale areas.

The report is titled, Developing a Skilled Workforce for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. An Analysis of Employers and Colleges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Permit me to comment on just a few things from this exhaustive study.

Employment today, especially in O&G, must keep pace with the evolving, dynamic, and technologically-driven world of work. However, the study showed that few colleges in this tristate region have “stackable credential programs”. The U.S. Department of Labor defines stackable credentials as those that are “part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time and move an individual along a career pathway or up a career ladder” (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

In today’s work environment, employers and the students they hope to employ can’t afford courses that are generalized. Available training should instead consist of contextualized content pertinent to students’ immediate needs. Contextualized instruction develops skills and knowledge that adults need to deal with specific situations or to perform specific tasks. Contextualized instruction also is designed around students’ self-identified immediate needs (i.e. it answers the question, “What would help me most today at my workplace?”). However, Rand’s study shows that fewer than 50% of the training courses for geared toward future O&G workers use contextualized instruction.

SnackLearning is in the education business. We can provide “snackable” (bite-sized), Waukesha-specific, gas engine training modules for the O&G industry in the tristate area. In oilfield country elsewhere in the U.S. Waukesha training has become part of their college curriculum, helping to train NextGen technicians. If you are interested in partnering with us in your area, we’d love to talk.