The Jobless Engineer: Mismatch between academia and industry

She was well dressed. Hair pulled back, clutching a big brown envelope as she sat gingerly on the edge of her seat in the hotel lobby.

The lounge was swarming with bodies and loud chatter from participants of the conference that had just come to an end. Amid all the raucous, she stood out because she was very still; her darting eyes, the only thing moving. I noticed she kept looking at the ‘big man’ in the chair opposite her, biding her time, waiting for an opportunity to chime in, or catch his eye, whichever came first. Neither came. That is, until a friend of the ‘big man’ she was eyeing, noticed her uneasiness and politely asked her if she needed any assistance. To this, her eyes lit up. She straightened up and mumbled that she was looking for a job.

This young lady, whom I shall call Patricia was a fresh graduate with a degree in Petroleum Engineering – theoretically, a very desired certificate in oil and gas.  However, here she was, telling of her struggles to land a job with her shiny brand-new degree. She had pursued the banner of STEM, with the hopes that it would lead her to the promised land of instant jobs, high-paying careers and all the associated glory and prestige that came with it.

There was a brilliant young Ghanaian who had somehow found herself in the teeming quagmire and growing cross-section of the educated and the unemployed.

According to the Ghana Statistical Services (GSS), a staggering 1.3 million Ghanaian youth are unemployed – a large section of them, with senior high school or tertiary certificates.

Before the turn of the new millennium, education was seen as the solution to a better life. “Go to school and study hard so you can get a good job”, they said. And that is exactly what most of the young ones of that age did. Luckily, many were able to land stable jobs. However, this conveyor belt of primary school – secondary school, – tertiary school – land good paying job; has become an elusive and slippery path in more recent years.

What could be the cause? Could it perhaps have to do with academia’s inability to bridge the gap between the requirements of the job market and the education students are receiving? Or the absence of industry-specific technical training where many theory-fed pupils are unable to demonstrate competency on the field of work?

These challenges are some of the key points deliberated upon by key stakeholders at the just-ended annual Local Content Conference & Exhibition held in Takoradi.

Speaking on the topic “Developing and utilizing a skilled workforce for the oil and gas sector in Ghana”, Kwame Afreh, Human Resource Manager at Tullow Ghana spoke on the peculiar requirements of the industry, and how early the stages following the discovery of oil was characterized by a heavy reliance on expatriate workers and foreign expertise. This trend was primarily due to the technical nature of the industry and the lack of skilled local professionals. However, as the industry evolved, a strong focus on local content began to emerge, and this was later entrenched in the L.I. 2204 of the Petroleum Regulations, 2013.

Despite coming a long way since those early days, a skills mismatch in the Ghanaian job market persists. This mismatch is largely due to the rapid changes in industries and technological advancements, which create a demand for skills not adequately available in the current workforce. To this, Kwame advised employers in the industry saying, “We need to work closely with local universities and vocational schools to ensure the curricula reflect the real needs of the oil and gas industry. Practical training like internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job experience will be key to preparing students for immediate employment. Companies must focus on continuous, on-the-job training, and leveraging available international expertise.”

For new graduates like Patricia – a fresh-faced and eager engineer, where did she go wrong?

An observer in the hotel lobby who had been keenly listening to Patricia bemoan her struggles of finding a job, joined in on what was fast becoming a mini-group discussion.

“You did the wrong degree”, he said. There was a moment of silence, as everyone turned their gaze at him. “You should have studied a more general subject,” he continued. Having the rapt attention of his audience, he explained how it was more beneficial to pursue a broader subject for a first degree, before specialising after gaining some industry experience. He buttressed his point by highlighting the importance of career guidance right from senior high school through to tertiary.

With the advent of oil discovery in Ghana, obtaining a petroleum-based degree was the hottest trend of the day, with many individuals taking advantage of the numerous sponsored opportunities to study in the field. This was a match made in heaven as the growing industry meant there was a high demand for a skilled workforce but was it too premature? That remains an existential question.

In line with L.I. 2204 of the Petroleum Regulations, 2013, which sets specific targets for the employment of Ghanaians and the patronage of local goods and services by oil ang gas operators, leading operator Tullow Ghana has played a pivotal role in localisation efforts and capacity building in the sector.

One prime example is the recent commissioning of the Jubilee South-East (JSE) project which was a clear demonstration of Tullow Ghana’s commitment to skilled local workforce.  The company, Orsam Energies, with a 90% Ghanaian workforce successfully fabricated one of the world’s most complicated subsea equipment at its fabrication yard in Takoradi. In times past, similar projects had to be executed in faraway lands like Singapore, with top-notch foreign expertise. Tullow Ghana’s focus on local skills development has resulted in over 79% of its workforce being Ghanaian, with a goal to exceed 90% in the next 5 years.

Ghana’s oil and gas industry today, is not what it was 14 years ago. Growth has slowed due to several factors – global trends, regulatory and investment climate, and economic headwinds, to name a few. Industry think-tanks speculate there may soon be an oversupply of engineers due to the reducing rate of expansion of the sector. Sharing his thoughts on these conjectures, Kwame called for concerted efforts to be made towards the growth of the sector, saying, “Creating an enabling environment in the sector that promotes expansion, investment and commitment to new projects, will expand the industry, create employment opportunities, and further appetite for more skilled workforce to operate in the sector.”

Does contracted growth for the oil and gas industry mean Ghana is at risk of losing its locally trained petroleum engineers to foreign pastures? Will this sector become the next mass point of exodus of highly skilled professionals to the infamous ‘brain drain’ phenomenon? Or perhaps a highly-skilled, richly experienced diaspora of Ghanaian professionals serve to develop our nation through knowledge transfer, foreign direct investment, remittances, trade and more?

Reflecting on this, Kwame says, “We need to make the industry attractive for skilled workforce to prefer working here than the lure of overseas employment, however, we should also be confident of the quality of workers we produce here, that we know they can add value to any other country they decide to work in. At Tullow, we are deliberate about empowering our local workforce to remain globally competitive to promote sustainability in the sector.”

Patricia’s resolve to find a solution to her issue was quite commendable. Although perhaps not the approach one might expect a typical engineer to take when solving a problem. She did, however, display traits of her can-do attitude and eagerness to grasp whatever opportunity she could find to make her dreams of becoming a practicing petroleum engineer come true. All things being equal, Patricia would no longer be that ‘jobless engineer’, but rather another bolt in the long chain of highly skilled local professionals in the oil and gas local content success story.