With truly effective training, there should be no shortage of qualified personnel to replace baby-boomers as they retire from the hydrocarbon measurement industry.  Effective training is an in-depth process which takes employees out of their comfort zone.  It challenges the capacity for change; builds confidence and knowledge; and produces future leaders.  While our industry has a wide range of resources for affordable technical, safety, and leadership training, it’s easy to become so focused on day-to-day activities that we lose sight of the significant value-proposition available through training…and the many resources that are available, including those listed here.
 
Some of the most valuable technical training, of course, is on-the-job with senior employees who are experienced in company policies and procedures, quality control, and safe working habits.  However, with ongoing industry changes it’s important to also fully leverage training from external sources to, among other things, stay current with the latest technical advances.
 
There are myriad work-related hazards within the petroleum industry, including simply driving to and from field locations.  A special report by the Houston Chronicle provided alarming statistics on the increasing dangers for oil and gas workers.  According to that report, a 10-year high in job-related deaths occurred in 2012, approximately 50% more than in the prior year.  In addition, the number of critical injuries reported has experienced a similar increase that has coincided with the drilling and fracking boom beginning in 2008.  Safety training is especially critical during high-growth periods when the number of new workers peaks, but it’s an ongoing responsibility and process that should always be in place.
 
While technical and safety training builds upon internal and external knowledge as well as on-the-job experiences, leadership training encompasses mentoring and strong interpersonal communications.  Formal leadership training has been statistically linked to the vast majority of any business’s financial success, while ineffective or non-existent leadership training is a primary cause of executive derailment.  An ironic consequence of performing leadership training is that it may expose serious weaknesses within the current leadership while simultaneously, and sometimes unexpectedly, identifying leaders of great potential within the organization.
 
Comprehensive, effective training develops employees at all levels, allowing them to achieve specific goals in business growth, productivity, safety, and customer satisfaction.  As part of that, leadership training grows leaders from within an organization, retains the expertise that technical training has provided, and safeguards the future with a stronger business foundation for employees, customers, and communities.