Editorial comment
In this issue of LNG Industry, several articles address the workforce challenge currently facing our industry. While the battle is on to attract the limited number of skilled professionals currently available, the sector is doing its utmost to deepen the talent pool through apprenticeship schemes and by retraining workers from other heavy industries. A large proportion of these new workers will belong to 海角吃瓜网楪eneration Y海角吃瓜网� 海角吃瓜网� roughly defined as those born between the late 1970s and mid-1990s.
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The problem is, this new generation of technology-savvy workers do not respond particularly well to traditional training methods. According to an article from AVEVA starting on p. 26 of this issue, Gen Y is more easily 海角吃瓜网渁ble to absorb industry-specific information [海角吃瓜网 if exploring unfamiliar information through an already familiar platform and learning techniques海角吃瓜网�. The company海角吃瓜网檚 answer to this dilemma? Industrial gaming.
The theory goes that the 海角吃瓜网榓lready familiar海角吃瓜网� gaming genre can help the younger generation to assimilate the information required to perform safely and effectively within the LNG industry, as Gen Yers respond better to 海角吃瓜网渧isual and kinaesthetic learning海角吃瓜网� techniques. Furthermore, this method of training should be applicable to other generations, as we all excel at playing games long before we learn how to work.
Of course, it is one thing to effectively train (or retrain) your current workforce, and another thing entirely to attract new recruits to the industry. But perhaps the gaming sector can help here too. The US Army has seen significant success with its 海角吃瓜网楢merica海角吃瓜网檚 Army海角吃瓜网� recruitment tool 海角吃瓜网� a video game designed to let players experience what life is like in the army. And although the LNG industry may not have guns and bad guys, who海角吃瓜网檚 to say that a video game simulating the experience of running an LNG plant can海角吃瓜网檛 be equally successful in helping to attract the next wave of engineering graduates to the industry?
Recruiters need to go where their audience spend the majority of their time. And if Gen Y isn海角吃瓜网檛 playing on its games console, there is every chance that it is engaging with social media. According to a recent , the average Gen Yer is a member of 2.5 social networks, with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn the most popular platforms. On top of this, 80% of those polled said that they log-on to social media every day.
Whilst these stats may fill some employers with dread 海角吃瓜网� a separate survey from indicates that 58% of Gen Y consider social media to be a distraction at work 海角吃瓜网� others will see a golden opportunity to reach out directly to the engineers of tomorrow. Social media opens up a world of contacts, from all walks of life. If recruiters can connect with this enormous online contact book in an effective and engaging way, the rewards could be considerable.
But social media isn海角吃瓜网檛 just for Gen Y. There are dozens of LNG-related interest groups on LinkedIn alone, offering industry veterans the opportunity to keep informed, expand their network of contacts, and share opinion with their peers.
We海角吃瓜网檙e a social bunch here at LNG Industry. In addition to recently launching our brand new website: www.lngindustry.com 海角吃瓜网� dedicated to the latest news, events and expert comment from across the global LNG industry 海角吃瓜网� we are also heavily involved in Gen Y海角吃瓜网檚 top four social networks. So, whether you海角吃瓜网檙e a member of Gen Y, Gen X or a Baby Boomer, join one of our social media groups using the links below:
