Israel Courts Petroleum Engineering Training Partnerships

Because Israel very recently gained the status of a potentially significant producer of oil and natural gas, it is no surprise that there is a dearth of petroleum engineering training options at its universities. The map below illustrates the proximity of Israel to established petroleum engineering degree programs.

In late 2011, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology began an 18-month graduate-level energy engineering program that offers courses in drilling engineering; production, transportation and storage engineering; and reservoir management. However, Technion's new program represents a first step for petroleum engineering education in Israel.

The country's universities would like to develop additional petroleum engineer certification programs in partnership with universities in Texas, Louisiana and other states with a history of training the oil and gas industry workforce.

Delegates from U.S. universities with petroleum engineering degree programs are welcome to apply to participate in an Oct. 27-31, 2012 oil and gas trade mission to Israel that the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is organizing. The trip, which will include stops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, will offer U.S. oil and gas industry players the chance to build relationships in this growing market.

In addition to workforce training providers such as universities, DOC is recruiting trade mission participants in oil and gas subsectors such as exploration, production, pipeline construction and logistical services.

Matthew V. Veazey has written about the upstream and downstream O&G sectors for more than a decade. Email Matthew at mveazey@downstreamtoday.com. Twitter: @Matthew_Veazey

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