As Utica Shale development continues to provide new jobs and careers across Ohio, leadership from the state and industry alike is working to promote diversity in the energy sector – highlighting the many opportunities the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the industry have to offer for women in the region.
In an effort to share this commitment, Ohio Congressman Bill Johnson hosted the Women in Energy Summit at the Mahoning County Career and Technical School in Canfield, Ohio on Monday. The event provided an opportunity to educate and provide access to information on the opportunities in the industry for all Ohioans, women and men alike. As Congressman Johnson states, “This is an industry that is going to be a job creator for both men and women, and we need to make sure they know about it.”
The event drew a large audience of over 150 teachers, students, and guidance counselors from the area to learn more about the opportunities in the energy sector from women who are working in the manufacturing and oil and gas industries. Panelist Callie Zazzi, with EnerVest, helped educate the crowd on the importance of oil and gas development while also highlighting the exciting opportunities from being a petroleum engineer.
“There are 17 accredited universities that offer petroleum engineering degrees and the placement rate, which is the number of graduates who earn full time positions, is well over 90 percent. According to the 2013 report by the National Association colleges and employers, petroleum engineering was the highest paid bachelor’s degree in the U.S. with an average starting salary of $96,200.”
With such great opportunities out there for women, Ms. Zazzi encouraged the women in the crowd to follow in her footsteps and further increase diversity in the oil and gas industry.
“Although women make up 50% of the United States, according to a 2013 Society of Petroleum Engineering report only 12 percent of women make up our industry. The energy industry has recognized the need for women and has vowed to increase diversity through strategic recruiting. Wouldn’t it be great if we could increase that number to 25 percent by just 2020?”
In fact, as a recent IHS Minority and Female Employment in the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Industries study highlighted, over 180,000 job opportunities in the oil, natural gas and petrochemical industries are expected to be filled by women by 2030. And if Ohio continues along its current trajectory, the number of women filling these important jobs here in the Buckeye State specifically will continue to grow.
With such growth forecasted over the next 15 years, it is extremely important that events such as these take place, providing a chance for women to share their own experiences and to gain access to the plethora of new job opportunities in the oil and gas industry.