Young Professionals, Energy & Aerospace Firms, and the U of C Launch Training & Tech Accelerator to build New Energy Future
The Avatar x YPAC Program trains energy workers to build real world new energy business cases with the industry’s most senior leadership.
Calgary, Alberta: — The Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC), Beaver Drilling and the U of C have joined forces to relaunch the Avatar Program June 19, 2020 over a period of 6 virtual sessions held over the summer connected in-between through real-world, new energy future Action Learning Projects. Open to all young professionals working in the energy industry or recently displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is offered for the low-price of $50/participant to train energy workers for a new future and re-train displaced energy workers to be able to re-enter the energy workforce on the business opportunities of the future. All funds will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank.
Rather than have the participants sit and learn from some of the industry’s most senior leadership, they will be tasked with building business cases with expert business supervision and coaches to create energy projects that can receive approval, receive budgets and be implemented. All the participants will be assigned to a team, an Action Learning Project. There will be 5 subject groups the participants will work through during the program:
- Hydrogen in the New Energy Future
- Carbon Trunk Lines & Sequestration
- Digitization in Oil & Gas
- Innovative Pipeline Construction Techniques & Trenchless Crossings
- Energy Advocacy
There will be 6, two hour virtual training sessions led by some of the industry’s most senior leaders to frame the business cases and coach the participants along:
June 19: Energy Leadership in a Brave New World: Deborah Yedlin, Chancellor, University of Calgary & Kevin Krausert, President & CEO, Beaver Drilling & Molly Beckel, President & CEO, YPAC.
June 26: Post-Pandemic Energy Economics: Peter Tertzakian, Executive Director, ARC Energy Research Institute.
July 10: Entrepreneurship in the New Energy Future: Iggy Domagalski, CEO, Tundra Processing Solutions.
July 17: Technology as a Transformational Business: George Whitesides, CEO, Virgin Galactic & Chris Foster, VP Information Services & Chief Information Officer, TC Energy & Bhushan Ivaturi, SVP & Chief Information Officer, Enbridge.
July 24: Navigating the Energy Regulatory Landscape: To be Announced.
August 7: 1, 2 ,3… BLAST OFF: Program Participants present their Action Learning Projects to an industry wide audience for implementation. Judges: Michael Crothers, President & Country Chair, Shell Canada Limited, Todd Hirsch, Chief Economist, Alberta Treasury Branch; Joy Romero, Chair, Clean Resource Innovation Network & VP Innovation, CNRL, Michelle Kisil, Acting Vice-President, Canada Region, Baker Hughes.
Quotes:
Kevin Krausert: “Canada’s oil and gas industry is at a crossroad. This represents the next important step building a new energy future where oil and gas is part of the solution”.
Molly Beckel: “YPAC is building the next generation of leaders of the pipeline industry. When talented young professionals take on the critical questions shaping the future, we can catalyze change.”
Deborah Yedlin: “Avatar x YPAC is exactly what we need to train the oil patch workers of today for the world of tomorrow and beyond. It is great example of what can happen when industry and academia partner.”
Peter Tertzakian: “The forces of change in energy systems have always been there. We can be harness them into positives for oil and gas. Avatar x YPAC is a great way to do it”.
More Information:
Registration Link here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ypac-x-avatar-tickets-106970353206
The Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC) is a professional group consisting of early career individuals working or studying to be in the pipeline industry. Pipelines are an integral part of Canada’s energy future, and YPAC is committed to building the next generation of leaders for the industry. We want to shape the future of the pipeline industry so that it can attract and retain top talent. We do this by enabling two-way dialogue between young pipeliners and key stakeholders in government, industry, and academia on critical topics: Climate Change, Indigenous Reconciliation, Innovation, and Diversity & Inclusion. Guided by our values of creativity, bold vision, and focus, we are catalyzing change.
The Avatar Program is an industry wide leadership, training collaboration and forum designed to advance innovative solutions in the oil and gas industry and the energy challenges of our time. Partnering with the University of Calgary, this leadership program was created to foster the essential skills for front-line energy workers to succeed and champion new technologies while empowering them to build real world business solutions for them. The Avatar Program holds 2 simple goals: 1) Empower front-line workers with the skills needed to champion change and innovation in a rapidly changing industry, rather than be displaced by it, and; 2) create collaborative partnerships between energy firms to build a new energy future. Engaging as partners, not as competitors or as vendors and customers, is the key to successfully overcoming the challenges our industry faces.