Youth Development
NGC's Third Tertiary Level Natural Gas Workshop Sees Enthusiastic Response From Students
The three week-long, in-house workshops were designed with undergraduate students in mind. We opened our doors to students from tertiary institutions throughout Trinidad and Tobago, who had completed at least the first year of a bachelor’s degree programme. We also accommodated our own holiday students.

Tertiary Workshop participants at the Beachfield Upstream Development Facility

We constantly try to improve this already valuable programme, this year we developed our course content in conjunction with UTT, in order to create a deeper, more meaningful impact on the students and to better serve their needs.

Our aim is to introduce students to the energy industry, with specific emphasis on the natural gas business. The workshop is part of our Public Information Programme, through which NGC informs and educates members of the public, especially the youth, on various aspects of the natural gas industry.

As we conduct our business, we rely on our vast in-house expertise. What better resource to tap into when faced with so many hungry minds to feed?Some of our most knowledgeable and experienced staff members delivered short, interactive presentations and demonstrations to participants.We were also privileged to have external parties, who were as excited about the project as we are, to come in and share their knowledge.

Here’s a look at the main areas of the curriculum:

The structure, history and role of the natural gas industry

Students got an overview of the natural gas value chain  the importance of natural gas industry to Trinidad and Tobago, and the fundamentals of natural gas purchasing and pricing.

 Introduction to hydrocarbons and energy science
No, it doesn’t all come from dead dinosaurs! Students learned about the origins, properties, composition, chemical make-up, and location and measurement of hydrocarbons. Of course, there’s more to energy than just gas and oil, so in a second session, presented by a UTT representative, students discussed alternative forms of energy.

The upstream sector
Here, students learned about on exploration and production, the bidding process, reserves and resources, and major players in the industry. That’s quite a lot of information to go away with!

The midstream sector
The primary sector in which NGC is involved. Activities in this sector comprise gas transportation, transmission and distribution. In-house experts also demonstrated to students methods of corrosion control, Right-of-Way maintenance, and technologies for which NGC is well known within the industry, such as hot tapping and pigging.

The downstream sector
Here, we discussed the uses of natural gas, natural gas processing, major downstream players, infrastructure development, industry promotion and emerging prospects.

New Technologies
Like time, technological development keeps marching on. Never shy of progress, we exposed students to new technologies within the industry, and offered them a glimpse of its future.

Not a techie? No problem. There’s room in the gas sector for you, too!
Like the gas business, the focus of the workshop wasn’t entirely technical. Students were introduced to the legal, financial and regulatory frameworks of the gas industry, including a look at taxation, investment incentives, royalties, and contracts.

Because we in the energy sector work on behalf of all citizens, we must also pay great attention to the Company’s corporate social responsibility. We made students aware of all that this entails participants in a special segment.

Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) is always a priority to NGC and within the industry. As such, we included a module on the subject, which encompassed topics such as EHSS law, office health and safety, industrial and estate EHSS, and natural gas EHSS. Next Page>>