BP Exploration (Alaska) awards scholarships

Five Alaskans enrolled in process technology training program selected for $12,000 grants-in-aid over four semesters of study

Petroleum News Alaska

BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. has awarded $60,000 in scholarships to five Alaskans enrolled in a new training program designed to prepare the next generation of operations technicians for careers in Alaska’s oil fields, refineries, mines and power generation facilities.

Each student will receive a $12,000 grant-in-aid to be paid over four semesters of study at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (Tanana Valley Campus), the University of Alaska Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula College.

Five additional BP scholarships will be awarded to students entering the program next fall. The deadline for fall applications is April 1. Information and an application for the fall scholarships are available online at www.bpamoco.com/alaska.

“We expect to be producing oil on the North Slope for a very long time. We’re going to need qualified people to replace the men and women who have operated our oil fields for almost a quarter century. Many are nearing retirement age. These scholarships are an important part of our effort to ensure that Alaskans are ready for those jobs,” said Richard Campbell, president of BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.

Scholarship winners are:

Jeremy R. Smith, a former Delta Junction farm laborer now attending Kenai Peninsula College;

Steve T. Bluekins of Fairbanks, a Prudhoe Bay roustabout now studying at the University of Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus; Cecilia J. Frenzi of Delta Junction, a former pipeline worker and Bush village teacher, now a student at the University of Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus; Jamin E. Morris of Anchor Point, a Prudhoe Bay battery technician and commercial fisherman now studying at Kenai Peninsula College; and Bobby D. Antila of Soldotna, a Prudhoe Bay roustabout studying at the University of Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus.

Students completing the two-year course of study are expected to receive an associate’s degree in process technology and will enter a job market in need of process technicians and operators.

The process industry anticipates approximately 500 operations and maintenance technician job openings over the next 10 years. Many of the jobs will become available as the first generation of North Slope oil field technicians reaches retirement age. BP Exploration plans to hire 10 graduates each year from the newly established Process Technology degree program.

The classes are the first to be offered as a result of formation of the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium. The consortium is a partnership of industry, educators, community and government leaders working to meet the growing need for skilled workers in Alaska.

BP Exploration is a founding member of the consortium and is supporting the training effort with its expertise and its dollars. The company is working with educators to develop the curriculum. It is also providing 10 scholarships a year and paid internships for students enrolled in the program.