Training the next generation of petroleum explorationists As a young professional geoscientist who has worked with small oil and gas operators through the recent downturn, Daniel Thompson says formal training opportunities have been few. Many small operators are under-resourced, and do not prioritise professional development. Looming on the horizon is a significant gap in experience and technical expertise within the industry, which will ultimately result in unnecessary dry wells at a time when new and creative play concepts are required to replace diminishing reserves. In 2018 Daniel applied to join the PESA- ASEG Young Professionals (YP) mentor programme in Melbourne, organised by Jarrod Dunne of Karoon Energy, and designed to provide access to industry professionals, career advice and training opportunities to help bridge gaps in technical knowledge. Daniel tells us his story. To close the knowledge gap for young professionals, PESA-ASEG has been running after-hours seminars to address a wide variety of technical and non- technical skills. We recently reached out to Rob Kirk (robkirkconsultants@bigpond. com) in Adelaide, a specialist consultant in sequence stratigraphy with 40 years of industry experience with companies such as BHP, Woodside, Occidental and SA Oil & Gas Corp. Rob generously volunteered his time and expertise in the form of a highly practical three-day short course on“Operational Seismic and Sequence Stratigraphy”, expertly delivered in Melbourne on 15–17 April 2019. For many of us the course was highly motivating, as well as transformative in the way we approach the geological interrogation of seismic data. We now view seismic through a new lens, which focuses on stratal packages and stacking orders, geometries, seismic facies and depositional settings. We now have the ability to be predictive in our hunt for new prospects, plays and petroleum systems, especially stratigraphic plays which will become increasingly important exploration targets in years to come. Our first and highly successful short course has highlighted that training technical staff through external means need not be cost prohibitive if companies and consultants/ industry specialists continue to support such low-cost training events. As an industry we need to take responsibility for the development of our future leaders in this new post-downturn environment. Otherwise, who will be the sequence stratigraphers etc. of tomorrow? The PESA-ASEG YP group hold regular technical and non-technical seminars, as well as social events, and will be aiming to grow participation through 2019. If you are a YP and interested in attending future events then please contact either myself (dthompson@3doil.com.au) or Jarrod Dunne (jdunne@karoonenergy. com.au) for further information. Similarly, if you are consultant/industry professional interested in helping to bridge the knowledge gap, or mentoring, then please also reach out to us. This includes any retired professionals. It would be a shame to lose the value of your experience. If you are interested in sponsoring upcoming events then we would also love to hear from you. On behalf of the YPs that attended the course I would like to sincerely thank Rob for providing a highly informative and practical course for the benefit of our YP group. The course would not have been possible without industry support and sponsorship from Karoon Energy and 3D Oil Limited, as well as PESA and ASEG. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting your future leaders. We have additional upcoming short courses planned so please watch this space. And remember, the more participants we have, the greater the opportunities for all of us. Knowledge is power; young professional geoscientists acquire a wealth of insight and information working with their mentors in the after-hour sessions (from right to left, Rob Kirk, Hannah Booth, Yakufu Niyazi and Mitchell O’Mara). Rob Kirk provides expert guidance on methods of seismic and sequence stratigraphy. Daniel Thompson Education matters 35 PREVIEW JUNE 2019