For any industry, it’s important to enable the future of a strong, educated workforce. Attracting young people to the natural gas and oil industry can be a challenge with some perceiving it as a ‘sunset industry.’ However, it’s an industry brimming with opportunity particularly in the burgeoning cleantech space. How to encourage more of the brightest to sign up for the challenge of maintaining energy abundance while tackling climate change?
Avatar Ignite Program
Enter the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) and its Avatar Ignite program.
Read more: Canadian hydrocarbon cleantech companies among global leaders
CRIN and five energy-focused young professional (YP) associations have developed a strategy to increase student engagement in the future of clean hydrocarbons. The program includes 30 scholarships offered in partnership with the University of Calgary. YP partners in the program include the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada, Young Women in Energy, Young Professionals in Energy Calgary Chapter, World Petroleum Council Canada Future Leaders, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers Young Professionals.
Bringing Emerging Professionals Together
Together, CRIN and these partners will work to advance the skills, networks, technical expertise and career prospects of students and young professionals across Canada. Avatar Ignite brings emerging professionals together to work in cross-functional teams to generate new business ideas to address industry challenges, focused on cleantech solutions.
Read more: Canadian oil and natural gas: a cleantech industry
A 12-Week program
Over the course of a 12-week program, participants engage in sessions led by industry and academic experts ranging from innovation to entrepreneurship. The program’s goal is to generate up to 15 initiatives that can move on to the program’s next phase, Avatar Accelerator, which takes early-stage solutions emerging from Avatar Ignite and partners them with customers, capital and expertise to create investor-ready business opportunities. A third step, Avatar Ventures, will further unlock investment capital to develop and commercialize these new technologies.
Read more: What is cleantech, and why it’s bigger than you may think
This innovative strategy is already underway. The winter 2021 cohort brought together 270 young professionals from 67 energy companies across eight provinces.
CRIN’s ambition is to make Canada a global leader in energy transformation.
