Ask Jennifer Pipkin, director of Dow’s Project Execution Expertise Center, what are the most valuable skills that a new generation of workers bring to the energy table to best accommodate the ever-changing energy industry.
It’s a query that Pipkin calls "the $10 million dollar question."
"How do we predict the future?" Pipkin asked. "Well, no one can, but individuals and industry alike can prepare for it."
"We’re looking at more of those dynamics like finding people who are more flexible and adaptable," she said. "That’s more of the ‘soft side’ of things, because the ‘hard side’ is more static, and those things are not changing as much."
Pipkin specifically said ideal candidates for employment with Dow are "folks that have the attitude to go along with the aptitude. Attitude and aptitude — we talk about talent that way."
When both new hires and existing employees have the attitude right, they’re going to figure out whether or not they have an aptitude issue, Pipkin observed.
"They’re going to close that gap. It may not be by them — they may have to pull in other experts," she said. "We’re looking for those people because they are going to be more adaptable and resilient."
Joining Pipkin on a panel discussing how to lead an intergenerational workforce at Reuter’s Downstream USA 2023 held in Galveston, Texas, Kurt Mondlak, manager of project management with BASF, said he enthusiastically agrees that resiliency and adaptability is key, "because at the end of the day, it’s not an electrical project and it’s not a civil project — it’s a project."
Mondlak pointed to the emphasis companies are placing on sustainability — a topic that will remain ubiquitous in the coming years.
"There has been a lot of discussion about sustainability projects as we try to become more carbon neutral and carbon free," he said. "That’s brought a lot of new language to our lexicon, and it has brought new concepts and new technology."
BASF project managers, he added, "are trying to come to terms with that and understand what the new pieces are that are coming out and get them integrated into our projects so that they are more carbon neutral."
Industry smart to emphasize sustainability to younger workforce
Pictured from left are Jennifer Pipkin with Dow, Kurt Mondlak with BASF and Courtney Olson with CPChem.
It’s undeniable that while the energy sector provides solid, high-paying jobs for the coming workforce, many young people view the industry with tempered enthusiasm and hesitate to align themselves with what some of them regard as a toxic enterprise.
Panel moderator, Peter Beard, Sr. VP with the Greater Houston Partnership, said he agreed with Mondlak that carbon neutral and carbon-free careers are "great jobs," adding that the industry would do well to actively promote these jobs to the next generation, along with jobs related to sustainability.
"Painting a different picture is going to be critically important to attract new talent," Beard said.
Courtney Olson, transformation manager with CPChem, said he is confident that industry leaders "have the answers and the teams to develop those solutions."
It’s incumbent upon managers across the board to help new talent see that they can be part of the exciting future that is becoming the answer to sustainability, the panelists agreed.
"It’s part of marketing," Olson said. "They have to see that side of it, and we have to show that we’re engaged in that."
Olson said he also believes that workers, especially the incoming younger generation of workers, want to be valued and invested in any career path they choose.
"People who are engineers or technical professionals want to solve problems," he said. "That’s the exciting thing about being an engineer — if we invest in them and give them more problems to solve, they’re going to engage and see this is an exciting opportunity."
