Online Assessment Tool Highlighted at GeoConvention 2021

DUNFERMLINE, Scotland - Sept. 15, 2021 - PRLog -- Following several major incidents, the energy industry is keen to use only those operations practitioners who, when responsible for delivering work used in safety-critical aspects of planning and executing wells, can demonstrate their competency. The legal – and environmental - consequences of failing to prove this are serious; yet demonstrating competency can be challenging for these practitioners.

Christine Telford, a member of Operations Geoscience International Competency Assessment (OGICA), speaking, on behalf of OGICA, in Canada, at the GeoConvention 2021 held from 13^th to 15^th September, explains, "Professional organisations appraise practitioners' abilities based on education, references, continuing professional development (CPD) and work experience, together with organisational membership.

"While these are important components of a Competency Management System (CMS), they don't validate the proficiency for the practitioner to work to a recognised standard. OGICA believes what's needed is an impartial technical skills assessment."

So, inspired by a mandate, and support, from the Geological Society of London's Operations Geoscience conferences over the last seven years, OGICA has developed and launched a unique, objective skills self-assessment tool for all those working operationally in upstream oil & gas geoscience.

The tool's robust question database, populated by OGICA, experienced industry specialists and peers, is accessed via eNetAssess, an online software platform. This platform is supplied by eCom (Scotland), a leading provider of online training and assessment which has a worldwide reputation for the quality and reliability of its solutions.

The tool allows operations geoscientists to assess - and benchmark - their current skill levels objectively. Highlighting skill gaps, which individuals can address via further experience and/or training as part of their career CPD, the output is a visual representation of their results. A digital badge is also issued which can be uploaded for sharing of results online.

"The system offers a cost-effective, anytime self-assessment for operational geoscientists around the world, enabling them to demonstrate the skills they have," said Christine Telford. "It's also been identified for use as a first stage in operator and service company competency assessment and could form a universal first stage for use in competency programmes in the consultant operations geoscience community."

"Accessing the online assessment via a web link. The candidate registers, pays a small fee and takes the 90-minute multiple choice assessment," explained eCom's Managing Director, Wendy Edie. "Results are delivered immediately in the form of downloadable graphics and a digital badge for sharing online. There's no pass or fail - and the results are confidential to the candidate."

Oil company and service company employees, independent consultants and one major oil & gas company in the Middle East are using the assessment framework in-house.

Video links to further details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT20tvjZCy8 and https://1drv.ms/v/s!AvfQt02f-s9Wl4I5Y81U7JtuX0M2zQ?e=e0sbJU