The global nature of the upstream oil and gas industry is well known and the locations of the 20 students who became the first student cohort of the new pioneering Graduate Certificate in Petroleum Data Management reflected this.
The innovative course for the energy industry was developed as a partnership between Robert Gordon University (RGU) and Common Data Access Limited (CDA) combining academic rigour with industry knowledge and experience.
In addition to contributing expertise to the development of the course, CDA have provided four fully-funded scholarship places for the academic year 2016/17.
The spread of the scholarship recipients reflects the international diversity of the student cohort. Dean Pereira de Melo is from Brazil, Katya Ponce De Leon De Sanz is from Bolivia but works in the UK, Daniel Arthur is from Ghana, and Uchenna Onyekuba is from Nigeria.
Professor Peter Reid at RGU said: “Demand for qualified and competent Petroleum Data Managers is growing as the success of the business becomes increasingly dependent on information, and the volume, variety and complexity of that information is growing rapidly.
“The course aims to support the industry, providing it with a steady stream of qualified data managers with specific knowledge of the subsurface environment. It is fantastic news that four fully-funded scholarship places were offered and awarded to deserving candidates and that we can help develop existing talent in the industry.”
The success of critical business decisions at various stages of the lifecycle depend upon the right data being available in the right form and at the right time; for example, interpreting seismic and well data to evaluate whether a hydrocarbon prospect exists in the subsurface.
Chief executive of CDA Malcolm Fleming said: “CDA and the industry are committed to supporting the development of the people and the skills that will build the resilience and competency of Petroleum Data Management as a professional discipline contributing to business success.”
Dean Pereira de Melo who works at Petrobras, the biggest oil and gas company in Brazil, is one of the recipients of the scholarship and believes that this course is vital to his company and to his career as a Petroleum Data Manager.
Katya Ponce De Leon De Sanz has over ten years’ experience as a Petroleum Data Manager. She enrolled on this course to expand her knowledge in the area and to enhance her current role.
She said: “I feel very privileged to have been chosen for the scholarship, it has given me the opportunity to study a subject which will help me perform even better as a Data Manager.”
Daniel Arthur, currently working at the Petroleum Commission in Ghana, has an MSc in IT and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from universities in Ghana. He has never studied via distance-learning before and is enjoying the experience. He decided to take the course to broaden his knowledge of Petroleum Data Management and to establish himself as the core resource for the Data Management at the Petroleum Commission in Ghana.
He said: “The scholarship gives me the financial support and peace of mind to be able to do the course - it will be immediately useful to my organisation and will boost my career.”