LAGCOE '15: Future Energy Professionals Program to continue tours
LAFAYETTE, LA - The LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Program (FEP) was established to support and encourage students to pursue the technical positions which fuel our world in support of the energy industry. The program includes projects to support middle and secondary education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum.
The inaugural project in 2013 introduced high school students interested in STEM majors to the energy industry through an organized tour of LAGCOE 2013. High school students learned about the energy industry while touring LAGCOE 2013 with a Young Professionals of LAGCOE (YPL) volunteer and a UL Engineering Ambassador for a hands-on experience with the technology and mechanics of the oil and gas industry.
YPL plans to continue the LAGCOE FEP tours during LAGCOE 2015, with an expanded program to include both a morning and an afternoon tour session. Adding a second tour will double the number of students who can participate to 200 compared to 100 in 2013. The expansion will allow students outside of Lafayette Parish high schools an opportunity to participate. High school juniors or seniors interested in exploring an oil and gas industry career who attend high school in Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, or Vermilion Parishes may apply.
"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, Systems Consultant at SYCON International and LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Program Co-Chair. "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."
With the addition of a second tour session to accommodate more students, comes a need for more volunteers. YPL will expand the pool of college student volunteers to additional Louisiana colleges and universities so the program involves the state of Louisiana as a whole and both two-year and four-year degree programs.
Students who participate in the 2015 LAGCOE FEP tours will be eligible to apply for the LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Scholarship: awarded to goal-oriented students planning to enroll in a Louisiana College in pursuit of a STEM-centric degree. From the 2013 FEP scholarship applicants, two students received awards.
Other initiatives include Future Energy Professionals Classroom Visits where YPL volunteers visit classrooms to educate students about energy career opportunities available with a STEM education.
