What Are They?

Some jobs and occupations in the natural gas industry are identified as “high demand” because estimates indicate that there are not enough qualified people to fill them. Sometimes lists of “high demand” jobs and occupations can vary because estimates and forecasts are issued by several different organizations e.g., employers, industry associations, provincial and national governments, research or policy organizations, etc.

Occupations with long term growth opportunities in BC include:¹⁰

• Petroleum, gas, chemical process operators including pipeline
• Power engineers and power system operators (steam ticket required)
• Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities
• Information technology occupations
• Regulatory and stakeholder engagement occupations.

Website 1: WorkBC Find High Opportunity Occupations in BC

https://public.tableau.com/profile/bc.labour.market.information.office#!/vizhome/HighOpportunityOccupations_15738582431550/FinalDashboard

See Table 5 for a list of high demand occupations based on labour market information for the BC Upstream and Midstream Natural Gas Industry.

¹⁰ https://careersinoilandgas.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019_Labour_Market_Update_FINAL.pdf , page 30 of 57

Table 5: High Demand Jobs and Occupations

High Demand Jobs and Occupations in the Natural Gas Industry
Chemical Engineering Technologists	Mechanical Engineering Technologists
Chemical Engineers	Mechanical Engineers
Civil Engineers	Millwrights and Machinists
Crane Operators	Non-Destructive Testers and Inspection Technicians
Drafting Technologists and Technicians	Oil and Gas Drilling, Servicing, and Related Labourers
Drilling Coordinators/Production Managers	Oil and Gas Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers, and Related Workers
Electrical/Instrumentation Engineers	Oil and Gas Well Drilling Workers and Service Operators
Environmental Technicians	Petroleum Engineers
Geologists and Geophysicists	Petroleum/Mining/Geological Engineering Technologists
Heavy Equipment Operators	Power engineers (steam-ticket required)
Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics	Project Engineers
Industrial Electricians	Purchasing Agents and Officers
Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technologists and Technicians	Steamfitters and Pipefitters
Inspectors in Public and Environmental Health and Safety	Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
Instrumentation Engineering Technologists	Truck Drivers
Instrumentation Technicians	Welders

Truck Driver is the most in demand job in the natural gas sector as well as several other sectors across BC and elsewhere in Canada. In some cases, being a truck driver is even a pre-employment requirement. For example, on hydraulic fracturing crews, truck drivers are cross trained on-the-job as equipment operators.
Check out the following videos and websites highlighting career opportunities and paths with companies of all sizes throughout the natural gas industry.

Video 1: Careers in Oil & Gas – Youth Series (8 minutes 18 seconds)

Video 2: Construction and Maintenance Trades – 4 videos (07 minutes, 05 seconds)

Video 3: Working with Tervita (02 minutes 04 seconds)

This video profiles just one example of the many service companies, offering employment opportunities, that work in conjunction with and support the natural gas industry

Video 4: Shell Lets You Take Your Career to New Heights (04 minute, 13 seconds)

Note that this video, although a Shell promotional video, reflects career paths that almost all major companies in the natural gas industry offer.

• Website 2: Clean Energy Compression
  https://www.cleanenergyfuels.com/compression/
• Website 3: Westport
  http://www.westport.com/
• Website 4: Mott Electric GP
  http://www.mottelectric.com/

Learning Activity 1: What are my career goals and how can this program help me achieve them?

This activity is based on the information in videos 1, 2, 3, and 4, and websites 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the above reading materials.

Instructions

1. Watch videos 1 through 4, and review websites 1 through 4.
2. Now complete the following exercise
   1. Identify what your goals are by asking yourself:
      1. Why are you taking this class?
      2. What information are you hoping to get out of it that could put you on the career path you are looking for?
      3. Have you found it yet?
   2. Write a list of the jobs and careers in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors that you might be interested in pursuing.
   3. As you move through this module add other jobs and careers that interest you to this list.
   4. Keep your list handy, as you will use it at the end of this module.

Where to Find Information About Jobs

Video 5: BC Jobs Plan: Liquefied Natural Gas – How Can We Seize the Opportunity? (01 minute, 30 seconds)

Video 6: LNG Workforce (02 minutes, 38 seconds)

Website 5: Careers in Oil & Gas

https://careersinoilandgas.com/careers/

Website 6: Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project

https://www.coastalgaslink.com/employment/

Website 7: LNG Canada / JGC Fluor BC LNG Joint Venture

https://www.lngcanada.ca/construction/jgc-fluor-joint-venture/

Website 8: Skilled Trades Employment Program

Website 9: Aboriginal Job Board

Website 10: Indeed.com

Learning Activity 2: How do I find information about companies that service the gas industry?

This activity is based on the information contained in:

• Videos 5 and 6, and websites 6 through 10in this module.
• The industry association websites in Module 2.3 that you have already viewed.

Instructions

1. Work in groups of two to three.
2. Watch videos 6 and 7; review websites6-10; review the industry association websites in Module 2.3.
3. Identify five different service providers and the work that they do.
   • Find out what they do and the types of jobs and careers they offer.
4. Share your finding with the rest of the class

Remember to add any interesting jobs to the list you started in Learning

Activity 1.

Well Paying Jobs

While careers in oil and gas are known to pay very good wages, compensation naturally varies from job to job, employer to employer, and province to province. Pay rates and benefits are of course, at the discretion of each individual employer; and are usually dependent on your level of experience, certification and education.
The Natural Gas industry offers opportunities for rewarding careers with excellent pay. Selecting the right career is critical. Arewarding career is one where you enjoy what you are doing.

Websites publishing salary surveys across a number of job families have decreased in recent years, but here are a few that still do.

Website 11: Engineers and Geoscientists of BC
https://www.apeg.bc.ca/Careers/Compensation-SurveyProfessional

2016 Compensation Survey Results

Website 12: Canadian Association of Geophysical Contractors HR Brochures
https://www.cagc.ca/

The HR brochures contain range of pay information and living allowances for a range of jobs in the seismic industry.Note: use the “Search” feature to locate the brochures

Website 13: Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC)
Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC)

Lists typical jobs in the petroleum service industry and estimated salaries from the PSAC Total Compensation Survey.

Website 14: Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA) Salary Survey, 2019 Salary Summary

The Summary shows base salaries for 12 engineering and geoscience job classifications in Alberta.

Specialized or Technical High Demand Jobs

A great many of the high demand jobs in the natural gas industry require very specialized training or post-secondary education in order to be qualified for them. The Petroleum Labour Market Information (PetroLMI) website (Website 15below) provides particularly goodinformation about occupations and jobs requiring specialized training or higher education. Check out the Self-Assessment Tool to see jobs that line up with your interests. Then follow the links to information about job descriptions, training, apprenticeships, education, and day-in-the-life job profiles.

Website 15: Careers in Oil & Gas

Many jobs in other industries have skills and qualifications that are transferable to careers in the oil and gas industry. Check out website 16 to find careers that may be suitable to y

Website 16:Compare Oil and Gas with Other Industries

Learning Activity 3: Finding information about jobs that require specialized training

This activity will help you find information about jobs and occupations that require specialized training or post-secondary education.

Instructions

1. Work with a partner or in a small group.
2. Develop a plan for how to go about finding the right information for jobs requiring specialized training—what specifically do you need to know?
3. Select one of the jobs or careers from your jobs and career list (developed in Learning Activities 1 and 2)Consider the questions below to identify any other information that would be good to know.
   • What experience and skills are required?
   • What education or training credentials are required? How long will the training take and where is it offered?
   • What kind of salary or wages do jobs in that career provide?
   • What type of employers hire people for jobs in that career, and where are they located?
4. Choose a job or career you identified in Learning Activities 1 and 2 and try out the plan.
5. Now answer the above questions for the career that you and your partner (or your group) selected.
6. Share the plan and how it worked with the rest of the class.
7. What made this activity easy or difficult?