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Program to provide students with STEM knowledge

Jul 17, 2017 / News

In today’s ever-changing oil and gas industry, companies search for young, qualified employees to bring the industry into the future.

In response to this industry need, the LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Program (FEP) was established to support and encourage students to pursue the technical positions which fuel our world. The Future Energy Professionals Program includes projects to support middle, secondary, and higher education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum.

“FEP is an exceptional program designed to intrigue the young minds of our great community and encourage them to pursue a career that directly gives back to the Acadiana area,” said Natalie Guillot, Project Manager at SYCON International and LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Program Co-Chair.

Since the initial project in 2013, the program has introduced the industry to more than 250 high school students interested in STEM majors through an organized tour of the expos. Junior and senior high school students from various Acadiana area schools learned the ins and outs of the energy industry while touring LAGCOE 2013 & LAGCOE 2015 with a Young Professionals of LAGCOE (YPL) volunteer and a UL Engineering Ambassador. The tours gave these students unprecedented access to a hands-on experience with the technology and mechanics of the oil and gas industry.

“The Young Professionals of LAGCOE take the time to introduce hand-selected high school juniors and seniors to multiple facets of the industry, ensuring these students that it takes a multitude of talents to make the oil and gas industry successful,” said Guillot.

This October, the LAGCOE FEP tours will take place during LAGCOE 2017. There will be a morning and an afternoon session with up to 100 students per session. Applications are currently available to high school junior or senior students from the following parishes: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, or Vermilion Parishes.

“The FEP tours are open to students interested in pursuing either a 4-year or 2-year technical degrees. LAGCOE is committed to supporting programs that build a strong pipeline of future workforce, leaders and innovators for the energy industry,” said Angela Cring, LAGCOE Executive Director. “We hope this program leads to these students choosing to further their education and make a career in the energy industry.”

Students who participated in the each of the past LAGCOE FEP tours were eligible to apply for the LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Scholarship: an award to goal-oriented students planning to enroll in a Louisiana College in pursuit of a STEM-centric Degree. LAGCOE has awarded $43,000 total scholarship dollars to date to five Acadiana-area students since 2013.

Each of these scholarship recipients were selected from a group of more than 250 students from 15 schools and eight parishes who toured LAGCOE during the 2013 and 2015 technical expositions & conferences. Again, this year, students who participate in the guided tours of LAGCOE 2017 will be eligible to apply for the Future Energy Professionals Scholarship following the tours.

For more information on the Future Energy Professionals Program, and to apply to participate in the guided tours of LAGCOE 2017, visit LAGCOE.com/future-energy-professionals.

Lauren Rabalais | LAGCOE Marketing Coordinator