There are more than 100 registered oil & gas companies operating in the upstream natural gas sector in British Columbia. Some of the more active ones are as follows:

• Petronas Canada
  https://www.petronascanada.com/
• Ovintiv (Encana)
  https://www.ovintiv.com/
• ARC Resources
  https://www.arcresources.com
• Shell Canada
  https://www.shell.ca/
• CNRL
  http://www.cnrl.com/
• Tourmaline
  https://www.tourmalineoil.com/
• Chevron Canada
  https://canada.chevron.com/

Operating companies are often referred to as “Owners” since they own the assets associated with gas production including wells and facilities.

Since the vast majority of Owners hire third party companies, commonly referred to as contractors or material and service providers, for the design and construction of these wells and facilities, their workforce generally have a relevant Diploma or Undergraduate (or higher) Degree and/or significant hands-on experience in disciplines including but not limited to the following:

• Geosciences
• Reservoir and Production Management
• Well Design and Construction
• Facilities Design and Construction
• Health, Safety and Environment
• Regulatory, Consultation, Stakeholder/Rights-holder Engagement
• Human Resources
• Finance and Accounting
• Contracting and Procurement
• Information & Technology (IT)

Owners often hire or outsource to third party companies. The degree to which Owners contract or outsource work can vary from Owner to Owner, however, most outsource design and construction of wells and facilities.

An analogy can be drawn to the commercial building industry. For example, the owner and operator of a shopping mall doesn’t design and build the shopping mall. An architectural firm is hired to design the mall that meets the owner’s needs and one or more construction contractors would be hired to build it. The Owners involvement being one of general oversight and management.

Upstream gas assets are significantly more complicated and require a broader range of third-party expertise than a shopping mall. Hence there are hundreds of companies providing equipment, material, and services to the upstream gas sector in British Columbia. The areas in which they work include, but are not limited to the following:

• Well design and Construction
  • Project Management & Technical Consulting
  • Drilling and Well Servicing Rigs
  • Drilling and Completions Fluids
  • Directional Drilling
  • Well materials including casing, tubing, and wellhead
  • Cementing and Pumping Services
  • Well Completions and Servicing
  • Trucking & Transport
  • Environmental and Waste Management
  • Civil Works / Earthworks
  • Communications and IT
  • Emergency and Medical Services

• Facilities Design and Construction
  • Project & Construction Management & Technical Consulting
  • Trucking & Transport
  • Environmental and Waste Management
  • Civil Works / Earthworks
  • Steel, Pipe, and Vessel Installation (Fabrication & Construction)
  • Control Systems and Electrical
  • Emergency and Medical Services

Careers

The upstream sector offers a substantial range of rewarding career opportunities across several disciplines including but not limited to those identified in Table 1. Additionally, careers such as Regulatory, Consultation, Stakeholder/Rights-holder Engagement, Sales and Marketing, Contracting and Procurement, Human Resources, Occupational Health & Safety, and Accounting/Finance exist across all areas.

Roles and experience level within each of these careers range from junior through to management. Module 2.9 provides additional information on careers in these and other occupations.

Table 1: Common Career Opportunities