A pioneering university course, aimed at helping companies extract greater value from subsurface data and support efforts to maximise exploration and production success, celebrates its inaugural graduates today (Wednesday 12 July).
Fourteen students from across the globe, including Brazil, Ghana and the Netherlands, will be the first to be awarded a Graduate Certificate in Petroleum Data Management from Robert Gordon University at its summer graduation ceremony this afternoon.
The university developed the course in partnership with Common Data Access Limited (CDA) – a subsidiary of Oil & Gas UK – to meet industry demand for practitioners skilled in managing the geological and geophysical data vital to the sector’s operations.
Comprising four modules covering all aspects of the subsurface exploration and production lifecycle, the course supports CDA’s wider agenda for the professionalisation of data management, enabling geoscientists and engineers to deliver more timely decisions with greater accuracy.
CDA Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming, said:
“The value generated by exploration and production activities relies on accurate information, the key to which is a high quality of data management.
“Staff armed with the knowledge and competencies to drive the best value from data will play a key role in supporting critical business activities, decisions and ultimately successful operations.”
The course was designed with significant input from industry, providing an entry point to a recognised discipline and career path. Applications are now open for the next student intake in September 2017, for which CDA is offering two fully funded scholarship places.
Jo Royle, Head of the School of Creative and Cultural Business, said:
“We have been delighted with the success of the first cohort of the Graduate Certificate Petroleum Data Management. Feedback tells us that the course has been well received by students and employers.”
Kerry Blinston, Global Commercial Director, Data Management Services, CGG, said:
“As a global exploration and production data services and solutions provider, we welcome this new professional qualification that teaches the value of petroleum data management to upstream oil and gas businesses.
“Several members of our team have reported enjoying the course and appreciating its convenient online delivery that helps to balance work and study. We are already beginning to see how they benefit from the knowledge they have gained to better understand our customers’ needs and this can translate into real business value on all sides.
“We plan to encourage other team members to participate in the next iteration of this successful and beneficial course.”
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Issued by the Communications Team, Oil & Gas UK. Contact Lucy Gordon on 01224 577331 or lgordon@oilandgasuk.co.uk.
Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its membership comprises oil and gas producers and contractor companies.
- The course is undertaken through RGU’s virtual learning environment, Campus Moodle. Potential students will be required to demonstrate understanding of, and interest in, pursuing this career path. Prior knowledge of the oil and gas industry and /or a geoscience background would be an advantage.
- Information about the course is available at www.rgu.ac.uk/datamanagement
- CDA supplies the UK oil and gas industry with shared services for managing UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) subsurface information. It provides a secure collection of well and seismic data, contributing to the industry’s collaborative efforts to maximise economic recovery from the UKCS.