SAOGE student program attracts young graduates

Among the large number of visitors on Day 3 at the Saudi Arabia International Oil and Gas Exhibition were budding engineers from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and the University of Dammam.
The young Saudi petroleum graduates were especially invited to the event by the exhibition organizers to fuel their interest in the various aspects of the oil and gas industry.
"They are the future of Saudi Arabia and we want them to know more about the latest technology that is being used in the industry," said International Exhibition Services Managing Director Piero A. Zipoli. "We want them to network with executives who may stand them in good stead in their later lives, especially when they enter the job market."
Launched in 2009, the initiative, rightly called as the "SAOGE Student Program," fully supports the Kingdom's localization initiative. "It provides selected students form the two universities with the opportunity to meet with key industry representatives from both the region as well as international oil and gas companies," said Zipoli.
Rami M. Alloush, chapter secretary at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), led the KFUPM group. He agreed with Zipoli. "Keeping the young graduates in touch with the market around them and the latest technologies in the industry are among the core goals of SPE," he said. "And this visit is one of the direct ways to achieve those goals."
The graduates took keen interest in the technology that was on offer at various stands put up by some of the most important and prestigious oil and gas companies from Saudi Arabia and around the world. They asked all the relevant questions and seemed very interested in their answers.
At the South Rub Al-Khali Co. Ltd. (SRAK) stand, the graduates posed a number of questions relating to career options and growth areas in the oil and gas industry.
Abdullah Saleh Al-Elyani, the head of public relations at SRAK, said the graduates were keen on getting all the information and details about the incentives that local companies offered.
"They wanted to know about the training programs that we at SRAK offer, our salary structure, growth prospects and scholarship programs," said Al-Elyani. "At SRAK, we were very keen to receive them and answer their questions because we have a special focus on Saudization and we have initiated a young graduate progression program."
SRAK, which is a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Shell, has achieved 62 percent Saudization. "We expect this number to grow in the coming years," said Al-Elyani.
Dr. Abdulrahman Salih Hariri, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Dammam, described the visit as a golden opportunity for his students.
"Meeting with key companies and gaining more knowledge of the oil and gas sector ... all these were extremely beneficial to our young men," he said. "We thank SAOGE for providing this opportunity to our graduates."
The three-day exhibition, which ended yesterday, attracted nearly 8,000 visitors. It was described as successful by a number of participants.
Parvaiz Ahmad, projects manager, Kanoo Commercial Group, said the high number of companies that took part in SAOGE 2012 impressed him. "We have been here before and I have to say it was bigger and better this time," he told Arab News.
Lee Eccles, regional manager, Survival Systems International, Dubai, was pleasantly surprised by the size of the exhibition. "I never thought it would be this big, and so frankly, yes, I am impressed by the number of companies that took part in this exhibition," he said.