Mid-Continent Oil and Gas announces workforce development partnership

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, in partnership with educational institutions and the State of Louisiana, an agreement Thursday to develop a program to help Louisiana businesses meet the growing workforce needs of the deep-water exploration and production industry in the Gulf of Mexico.
Entities involved in the effort include the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, Louisiana Community and Technical College System, University of Louisiana System, Fletcher Technical Community College, Nicholls State University, South Central Louisiana Technical Community College, Louisiana Workforce Commission and Louisiana Economic Development.
“We have an incredible opportunity to recruit and train Louisiana’s workforce to fulfill the need for skilled workers in the deep-water offshore industry in the Gulf of Mexico,”
LMOGA President Chris John said. “It is our vision that together we will develop a field-oriented, practical curriculum and certification program that will become the preferred model for offshore education training.”
Recent technological innovations have increased deep-water activity at an impressive pace, making the Gulf of Mexico the fastest growing offshore market in the world. But with this growth comes a challenge. Forty percent of skilled oil and gas professionals are expected to reach retirement age within the next decade. Companies will need to recruit and train a number of individuals to take on these roles.
The oil and gas industry has been a staple in Louisiana’s economy for generations and a foundational partner for Louisiana’s community and technical colleges,” said LCTCS
President Monty Sullivan. “The signing of the agreement today extends our partnership at a time when the industry is experiencing dramatic expansion. We look forward to continuing to provide education and training to Louisiana citizens for good paying jobs in this critical sector.”
“This partnership is a prime example of how Louisiana higher education is coming together with business and industry to meet workforce needs,” said University of Louisiana System President Sandra K. Woodley. “Leveraging the power of existing programs at Nicholls State, Fletcher and SCLTC with the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association will yield a multi-faceted approach to growing the employee pipeline for the fastest growing offshore market in the world. It is a wise approach for the long-term economic stability of our state.”
With the MOU, the educational institutions and LMOGA will develop a recommended plan to move forward with developing the program, which will then be considered by the individual institutions and LMOGA for implementation.