The Energy Industry in Colorado

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Presented by Mary Jeffreys, Energy Industry
Coordinator Metro Denver WIRED Initiative and Su
e Tuffin, Director Mesa County Workforce Center
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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• Colorado is a balanced energy economy
• Extractives Oil and Natural Gas, Coal,
  Utilities
• Renewable Energy and Energy RD Wind, Solar,
  Hydroelectric, Geothermal, Biomass,
  Ethanol/Biodiesel
• Energy Conservation and Efficiency

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Source Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry
Activities, 2006, Colorado Geological Survey
Information Series 75.
4
Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
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Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
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Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
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Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
8
Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
9
Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
10
Source Connecting Colorados Renewable
Resources to the Markets Report of the Colorado
Senate Bill 07-091 Renewable Resource Generation
Development Areas Task Force.
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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
The energy industry is already a significant
employer in Colorado, with the potential to
create thousands of new, high paying jobs!
The energy industry is already a significant
employer in Colorado, with the potential to
create thousands of new, high paying jobs!

• Oil and Gas employs 71,000 people at an average
  annual wage of 60,811 (2005 Colorado Energy
  Research Institute)
• Coal Mining employs 2,246 people at an average
  annual wage of 93,598 (2006 Colorado Mining
  Association)
• Renewable Energy and Energy RD 15,400 people
  at an average annual wage of 78,690 (2006
  Metro Denver EDC)

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Industry Needs and Issues There are both short-
and long-term workforce supply issues

• Between 42 and 50 of the current workforce will
  retire in the next 5 to 10 years (Baby Boomers).
• The pipeline to create the future workforce is
  not currently meeting the needs of industry.

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Industry Needs and Issues There is a lack of
connectivity between industry and education

• Difficult to identify education partners.
• Need better connections to tech transfer offices.
• Need user-friendly access points for internship
  information for both industry and students.
• Parents, teachers, and career counselors tend to
  steer students away from jobs in the energy
  industry.

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Industry Needs and Issues

• Better Science, Technology Engineering and Math
  (STEM) skills needed for higher level jobs.
• Need to engage K-12 students early with more
  relevant and rigorous STEM education.
• Better business and soft skills needed (e.g.
  leadership, project management, presentation,
  critical thinking, teamwork skills)

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Industry Needs and Issues Perceptions of jobs in
industry
Myth Jobs are tedious, dirty, low-paying and
offer few, if any, opportunities for
advancement. Fact The 2006 average annual
salary for extractive workers in Colorado was
89,590, and for renewable energy and RD workers
it was 78,690. EX Rig workers move from
company to company, advancing as they go
Filter hand to Driver to Supervisor up
to Engineer (engineering degree required) As
identified by industry.
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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Industry Needs and Issues Perceptions of jobs in
industry
Myth The industry is unstable based on the
regions experience during the 1980s oil bust.
Fact With todays energy crisis and rapidly
developing technologies, this may be one of the
most stable industries in our economy for the
next 30-50 years, thanks to huge fossil reserves
and the transition from a fossil-based to a
renewable-based economy. As identified by
industry.
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Xcel Energys Ponnequin Wind Farm, Northern
Colorado, Located just south of the Wyoming
Border and East of I-25
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Roof mounted PV System at the Isaac Newton Middle
School, Littleton, Colorado (National Renewable
Energy Laboratory)
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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
High-demand Jobs Drivers, heavy
equipment operators, rough necks

• Can go into careers directly from high school
• May require CDL drivers license, OSHA certificate
  or similar
• Sources of Workers workforce centers, veterans
  or retired law enforcement, community colleges
• Very difficult to keep jobs filled

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• High-demand Jobs
• Drilling superintendants, electricians,
• mechanics, plumbers, installers/ fabricators,
  maintenance workers.
• H.S. or GED required Associates Degree preferred
• 4-year apprenticeship, CDL
• Sources workforce centers, outreach to schools,
  and union halls (in the metro area).
• Union halls having trouble recruiting new people
  into trades

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• High-demand Jobs
• Business Services Professionals
• auditors, accountants, business
• operations, regulatory/government
• affairs
• Bachelors Degree required Masters preferred
• Industry background, relevant licenses and
  certificates
• Sources referrals, college recruitment, private
  employment agencies

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
High-demand Jobs Operations Maintenance
control area operators, plant production
supervisors, environ. health safety

• H.S. or GED plus mechanical, electrical, plumbing
  aptitude, relevant experience
• Sources career fairs, outreach to schools/trade
  schools, ex-military, referrals
• Often outsourced to consultants depending on
  season

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
High-demand Jobs Technicians plant,
instrumentation, pump, HVAC, utilities, welding

• H.S. or GED Bachelors Degree preferred
• Haz mat certification, OSHA training, all
  applicable licenses and certifications,
  unrestricted CDL
• Sources referrals, college recruitment, private
  employment agencies

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
High-demand Jobs Inspectors authorized area
inspector, lead area inspector, chief inspector

• H.S. or GED required Associates Degree preferred
• API certifications, degree in design, piping,
  mechanical engineering, refinery experience
• All work subcontracted out of state
• Impossible to fill positions demand for
  workers in Gulf Coast states and new energy
  initiatives compete for scarce workers.

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• Identified transferrable skills between industry
  subsectors
• STEM skills
• Computer literacy
• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing aptitudes
• Welding and fabrication

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• Identified transferrable skills between industry
  subsectors
• Business skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Extractive skills transferrable to ongoing
  maintenance skills for producing wells
• Extractive skills transferrable to renewable
  skills (e.g. land men, mechanics, etc.)

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• Recruitment and Retention Issues
• Perceptions of Industry
• Socio-economic issues including drug use and lack
  of affordable housing.
• Engineers all types simply not enough people
  with engineering degrees

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• Recruitment and Retention Issues A Tale of Two
  Regions
• Along the Front Range, some positions (e.g.
  inspectors) are impossible to fill due to
  increased demand in the Gulf Coast region.
• On the Western Slope, gas producers move their
  best and brightest all around the country, and
  from the field to maintenance positions at plants

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado

• Open Forum
• What are the roles of industry, education and
  workforce partners in meeting industry demands?

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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Resources Industry Research and Reports
published by the Metro Denver WIRED Initiative,
2006-2007, http//www.metrodenver.org/workforce-pr
ofiles/WIRED Oil and Gas Economic Impact
Analysis, published by the Colorado Energy
Research Institute at Mines, 2007,
http//www.metrodenver.org/workforce-profiles/WIRE
D Green Collar Jobs Report, published by the
American Solar Energy Society, 2007,
http//www.ases.org/ASES-JobsReport-Final.pdf Ae
rospace, Bioscience, Energy, and IT/Software
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The Energy Industry in Colorado 2008 RMWDA
Conference May 21 23, 2008 s Vail, Colorado
Contacts Mary W. Jeffreys, Energy Industry
Coordinator Metro Denver WIRED Initiative Denver,
Colorado 303.620.8067 mary.jeffreys_at_metrodenver.or
g Sue Tuffin, Director Mesa County Workforce
Center Grand Junction, Colorado
970.248.0871 sue.tuffin_at_mesacounty.us