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SPE Student Chapters Aim to Enhance Undergraduate Prospects

For some, being a student means late nights, long lies and the occasional lecture or visit to the library. However, for most, it is the time to put foundations in place to help achieve a long and successful future career.

It is often said that when it comes to career development “it is not what you know, but who you know” that offers the greatest path to success. If this is the case then there is no reason why the “who you know” foundations can’t begin to be put in place before a university graduate enters the working world.

In Scotland, international voluntary organisation The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) offers student membership through its Aberdeen Section and its four student chapters operating at Scottish universities. The aim of these is to enhance a student’s knowledge, understanding, networking ability and create professional contacts, preparing them in the best possible way for their future careers.

Some students might view becoming a member of a professional industry organisation whilst studying as an unnecessary addition to their already hefty workload. However there are a number of benefits in doing so, both in the short and long-term, for students.

Two of the SPE Aberdeen student chapters are at The University of Aberdeen and the Robert Gordon University. SPE Student Chapter Presidents for The University of Aberdeen and the Robert Gordon University explain how membership to SPE, whilst studying, can greatly enhance your future career prospects.

Deji Adebeshin, SPE student chapter president for the Robert Gordon University, said: “To put it simply, the ultimate goal for students is to be in the best possible position to get a good job when they graduate, and it has been proven that being an SPE member significantly improves your chances of doing so.”

Deji admits that one challenge that SPE faces is encouraging undergraduate students that membership is worth their while and that it can be valuable to students who do not study an engineering degree.

“We are aiming to change the perception amongst undergraduates that SPE is just for engineering students as this is not the case. There is a fantastic opportunity for other students in subjects like law, management or IT to benefit from SPE membership. I got involved with SPE as I knew there were great benefits to joining and I wanted to help other students benefit too. The skills, contacts and wealth of knowledge available would benefit anyone aiming to enter any professional job.”

SPE is about the sharing of knowledge, improving members’ understanding of an industry and enhancing their personal skill set. In addition to this, membership allows for the opportunity to improve networking skills and attend international events that wouldn’t normally be as accessible to students.

Deji continues: “We tell our members that there is more to networking than giving someone your business card. We encourage students to network as much as possible while at university. Students’ interpersonal and communication skills improve greatly, so that members are confident and assured when speaking to fellow professionals by the time the graduate and enter the work place.”

SPE Aberdeen hosts a monthly event at Aberdeen’s Douglas Hotel where students have the opportunity to make technical presentations to professionals in the energy industry, followed by a networking dinner. In May, the student chapters will team up to help organise an SPE event called “Finished Graduating, What Next?” which will bring together university students and graduates, with the graduates offering advice to students on their future careers.

The University of Aberdeen SPE student chapter president, Sergei Kelm, says attendance at this type of event is typical of the sort of advantage that SPE membership can offer: “For students, membership to SPE can fill a gap in education that textbooks and lectures cannot. A lot of the time in business, who you know and the contacts and relationships you have are of equal importance to how knowledgeable you are about a subject.

“For me, the benefits of being an SPE member whilst being an undergraduate student greatly outweigh any additional effort or work required. The opportunities for networking, to increase your contacts and improve your understanding of the working world are priceless. On top of that, being an SPE member offers financial rewards with bursaries and grants available to students.”

Internationally SPE is a huge organisation, with thousands of members in the UK, each of whom is affiliated to one of three UK Sections in Aberdeen, London and Great Yarmouth. Aberdeen is the largest of these, with around 2,500 members.

SPE Aberdeen works closely with the oil and gas industry, Scottish universities and local schools, institutes and academia to advance the learning and technical excellence in all aspects of the industry; offshore, onshore and internationally

For more details about SPE and the student chapters please visit: www.spe-uk.org

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