Mentoring

WPC Mentoring Programme

The WPC is committed to involving young people in the oil and gas industry and recognises the importance of attracting, retaining and developing talent for the future.

As part of the WPC Young Professionals Committee’s (YP) mission, one key focus point is to “bridge the generation gap through mentorship networks”. In order to achieve that objective, the WPC started a “Pilot Mentoring Programme” in October 2010.

The aim of the WPC Mentoring Programme is to provide young people with an opportunity to directly engage with senior industry experts to discuss the main issues and draw upon their experiences, expectations and suggestions.

WPC Mentoring circles provide a supportive relationship between an experienced member of the oil and gas industry and a small group of early career professionals or students.  Mentors encourage and provide perspectives on their profession, experience, expertise and advice to mentees.  In return, mentees discuss their questions, thoughts and concerns on diverse issues related to the energy industry with their mentor and their peers in the group.

This engagement is aimed at developing global cooperation through direct communication and access to a network of experience from an international non-corporate perspective to consider alternative strategies, advice and to achieve a common understanding. 

Now in its 4th edition, the Mentoring Programme has grown to include over 150 participants. In each mentoring circle a small group (2-5) of young people, both students and young professionals, are assigned as mentees to a senior industry professional who acts as their mentor. Every few months the international groups get together in a conference call to discuss a set of issues, both industry and career related and in order to allow for regular communication mentees are matched with mentors from similar time zones.

The programme is set up as follows:

Implementation:            

Step 1:  WPC Young Professionals Committee (YP) Members and National YP members are invited to paritcipate as mentees in the programme. Senior WPC executives and leaders in the National Committees are invited to become mentors. 

Step 2: The confirmed mentors and mentees are matched according to the time zone at their location. Notifications are then sent to mentors and mentees with an introduction and the mentors start the discussions.

Step 3: Mentors set up the conference calls with the group and select a few topics to start with. Once they start talking the circle decides together on the topics for the following calls.

Step 4: Summaries from the calls are sent to all group members and the coordinators to monitor the progress and track the discussion points.

Step 5: Mentors and Mentees will have an opportunity to meet face-to-face at the 6th WPC Youth Forum in Russia in June 2019 and again at the 23rd World Petroleum Congress in Houston, USA in December 2020.

Step 6: On the last day of the Congress, all the groups come together for a joint meeting to discuss the outcomes of the Programme and to launch the next cycle.

Step 7: At the end of the group meeting, mentors and mentees receive certificates for their participation in the programme. 

For further information about the WPC Mentoring Programme, please contact WPCSecretariat@world-petroleum.org