In light of the government’s launch of Norway’s first battery strategy, NITO responded that it is urgent to get Norwegian engineers in place. In Mo i Rana, Freyr Battery is in full swing building battery factories in the billion range. Freyr will build several battery factories in Mo i Rana with 1,500 employees. Photo: freyr – The factories are coming fast and it is urgent that something happens now, said Hanne Marit Henriksen in NITO. MDG believes that the government has itself to thank for the country-wide shortage of Norwegian engineers, and that more people are applying for oil jobs this year compared to last year. Debts away Moe – It’s no wonder that young people listen to the government and apply accordingly. The dissatisfaction comes from Ingrid Liland, deputy head of MDG. It was before Easter this year that Ola Borten Moe (Sp), minister for higher education, encouraged Norwegian youth to apply for petroleum-related education. The problem, according to Liland, is that the government prioritizes the oil industry over renewable energy. She thinks it is completely wrong that the government encourages young people to apply for oil studies when Norway also needs engineers with expertise in renewable energy. – That was the point of him saying that. I think the government avoids showing leadership in a change in a world where the whole of Europe is literally on fire, says Liland. She adds: – The government is starving the green shift. – But the petroleum industry struggles with recruitment. Doesn’t Norway need domestic expertise there as well? – What Norway needs is increased competence and manpower within green industry. Right now we are tying our shoelaces on the starting block and investing billions in an oil industry that is going like crazy. More people are applying for oil studies Since the drop in oil prices in 2014, fewer people have applied for education in oil and gas. Since then, numbers have been stable. This year, however, there are twice as many as last year who want to become petroleum engineers at NTNU. – This year we see a significant increase in the number of applicants who have petroleum as their first priority. That is according to Olav Bolland, who is dean at NTNU’s Faculty of Engineering. – What is certain is that candidates with an engineering education will be highly sought after on the labor market, says Bolland. Photo: JØTE TOFTAKER / news A total of 522 have petroleum subjects among their graduates compared to 388 last year. – In 2021 there were 20 who had petroleum subjects as their first choice, while this year there are 41, says Bolland. – Do we lack engineers for both fossil energy and renewable energy? – We absolutely need good candidates for both of these industries if we are to succeed with the green transition. The petroleum students we train are highly sought after, and in fact the feedback from the industry is that we train too few of them, says Bolland. The Government: – Not a contradiction – We start from how the world actually is. The petroleum industry is without a doubt Norway’s most important industry, which ensures enormous income for the community every year. To ensure good management of these large and important natural resources, we must have the right expertise. This is the response of State Secretary Oddmund L. Hoel to the criticism from MDG directed at Borten Moe and the government. – We need young people to apply for petroleum education. It is not a contradiction either. A good engineer in the oil industry with knowledge of geology, reservoir thinking and process technology will also be a good engineer in the green shift, says Hoel. NTNU: – Need for both Liland agrees with Hoel that those who work in oil know a lot that we can use in other industries. – It is really nice. The problem is not that people acquire competence and knowledge. The problem is that the signal from the government is to invest in oil and increase activity. We should put that knowledge into the new industries and not into oil, says Liland. Although more people are applying for petroleum studies than before, the majority of applicants are for the renewable energy study program at NTNU. – This year it has 203 first-priority applicants and a total of 1,719 applicants. NTNU also has the five-year study program Energy & Environment, which this year has 188 first-priority applicants and a total of 1,622 applicants, says Olav Bolland. There are several engineering courses elsewhere in the country. – There is no doubt that the world must transition away from the use of fossil energy if we are to succeed in reaching global climate targets. At the same time, there is broad political agreement that we will continue to have Norwegian oil and gas operations for a period in the future. The power and expertise found in this industry can play a decisive role in the green transformation of the Norwegian economy, says Bolland. Hi! So glad you came down here. Do you have input or tips for other things I should look at? Please send me an e-mail.
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Twice as many will become oil engineers – MDG gives Borten Moe the blame – news Nordland
