BRAIN GAIN
Company seeks students’ interest during show
Weatherford International plc aimed this week to interest some smart minds in the equipment and services it offers to operators in the oil and natural gas industry.
The company put its equipment and technology on display Wednesday and Thursday in Oklahoma City for potential customers. It also invited students from area high schools, colleges and universities to check it out.
Thursday, students from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and other schools were given a chance to tour static equipment and technology displays set up both inside and outside of the firm’s Oklahoma City offices.
They also were given an opportunity to visit with Weatherford professionals to learn more about the company and its steerable drilling bits, automated rig floor apparatuses and other various types of drilling, completion and production equipment.
Plus, they were able to learn more about associated, cloud-based technologies Weatherford uses to operate those and other systems.
Throughout, Weatherford technicians and executives visited with them not only about the company, but also about the oil and gas industry.
Officials said the opportunity was provided through Weatherford’s WISE (Worldwide Initiative
Supporting Education) program, which provides science, technology, engineering and math students with educational, hands-on opportunities.
“We like doing these events for several reasons,” said Allen Sinor, a sales vice president with Weatherford’s U.S. Geozone division.
“First, we want to be sure we keep all of our personnel abreast of the technology. More importantly, it is for our customers. It takes events like this for us to demonstrate to them where the technology is and where it is going.”
Richard Vaclavik, also a vice president in Weatherford’s U.S. Geozone division, said customers attending the Oklahoma City event were surprised by many of the technologies they were able to learn about and see.
Both said they also were excited Weatherford invited students to such events because the company always is recruiting.
“We are trying to attract great talent to come in, both experienced and the next generation of future employees, who hopefully will be working with us,” Sinor said.
Kelly Lawrence, Weatherford’s corporate communications manager, said the firm did something similar for its customers
and area students this year at its Permian Basin offices.
The goal, she said, is to bring students out to learn a little bit about Weatherford and the oil and gas industry, plus see some of Weatherford’s technology “up close and personal.”
“The events are a good opportunity for us to make some strong connections with area schools and universities,” she said.
Lawrence said Weatherford also has a NextGen
program where it recruits recent university graduates who have studied engineering or other sciences and technology and would be a good fit for the industry.
NextGen is a rotational program for college graduate engineers. The program is designed to give the students a chance to learn not only about the technical side of the industry, but also to get a strong exposure to what it takes to run a business.
“We are in growth mode all over the U.S. and in Oklahoma, especially with the emergence of the STACK and SCOOP” fields, Ross Powell, a technical sales manager for Weatherford’s Midcontinent division, said when explaining why NextGen is important to the firm.
He said the program is a worthwhile investment for students even though it takes them about five years to complete, because it helps them become wellrounded leaders.
Sinor agreed, saying the program isn’t unlike journeyman programs electricians and other skilled workers pursue.
“It is the only way to get the true expertise and leadership skills that we need,” Sinor said.
Drew Fazzino, a senior at OU who is majoring in mechanical engineering, said Thursday he appreciated the opportunity Weatherford gave him and other students with its invitation.
He said during the summer he worked with a company that makes fracking plugs, and he finds the oil and gas industry interesting.
“So far, the steerable bit is the most interesting thing I’ve seen, but I am really looking forward to the plugs when I get to them,” Fazzino said.
“I love it, because it gives you exposure to what companies produce, and that helps you so that you aren’t blindly applying for a job where you don’t really know what they do.”