School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Supply of geoscientists to the oil
& gas industry from UK HE
sector
Roger Clark
MSc Exploration Geophysics Programme Manager
With contributions from
Phil Murphy
Schools & Colleges Liason: Geology & Geophysics Admissions Tutor
School
Earth and Environment
Viewsofexpressed
herein are
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
those of the lead author alone and not necessarily
those of the author’s affiliation & institute
jobs in oil & gas industry?
HE - MSc level?
HE - BSc level?
Schools and supply to HE?
Seismic line being shot across the (former) Selby coalfield and gypsum deposits for Leeds’ MSc
Exploration Geophysics 2010-11 class
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
School provision?
Geoscience incl. hydrocarbons, resource
exploration remains in science syllabus
to GCSE, and some A-Level and IB
options - c. 5% of curriculum
.
BSc to MSc
GCSE & A-Level geology still extant:
buoyant where taught but localised e.g FE
colleges: A-Level up to 50% of BSc intake
BSc provision
Schools
Standard of teaching vastly improved by
ESTU Keele (UKOOA-funded)
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
School provision?
cryosphere, climate change, environment
impact too (e.g. Exxon Valdez case study)
now: oil & gas sector seen as harmful
and a twilight industry …
‘geoscience’ not understood - geology &
.
geophysics is (it’s on TV), but perceived
as low pay relative to medicine/business.
.recruitment experience is ‘earthquakes &
volcanoes’ remains driver for BSc
choice: options ‘fixed in’ by time of GCSE
options
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
School provision?
Feedback: workload in making
university choice and ‘information
mining’ is already resented by some
.
BSc to MSc
Gap year as a positive choice has gone:
looking to universities to provide that
range of experience
BSc provision
.209,000 spill-over from 2010 entry
Schools
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11765127
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc provision?
Overall, geoscience BScs currently
moderately buoyant: none shutting (but
none starting)
.UK
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
intake to geophysics still fragile and
erratic: ‘mathematics vs. media studies’
effect remains. International intake still
keeps some courses viable
.
Applications up around 30% for 2011 in
common with widespread recession- and
fee-driven dash for places
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision?
45% having to work in vacation or termtime of final year
MSc provision
.
30% having to work in vacation and termtime of final year
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
.65% give reason for working as “finding
essential funding”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11515828 (but my emphases)
Exit debt typically £15-20k
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - funding?
• sector-average
1/3
research
funding
MSc provision
each.
base-level
“QR” QR
govt.higher
funding
• research,
BSc to MSc
in Russell Group
teaching
income
• teaching
higher in
BSc provision
Schools
1994 Group
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - funding?
research funding
MSc provision
no NERC (govt.) contribution to
oil & gas geoscience topics?
base-level “QR” govt. funding
unchanged in STEM subjects 
BSc to MSc
teaching income
BSc provision
Schools
DON’T KNOW!
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - funding?
Sector-average cost ≈£7k pa per
student, higher in (geo)sciences
MSc provision
currently
government
student
BSc to MSc
≈£3k from
student
≈£4k from HEFCE, capped
via recruitment quota
2012 entry onward
student
BSc provision
Schools
gov’t
≈£6-9k from student
HEFCE cut by £2.9billion: consequent
allocation and policy still unknown
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - funding?
Sector-average cost ≈£7k pa per
This is the much publicised “40% cut”
student, higher in (geo)sciences
MSc provision
“the UK will drop spendingcurrently
in HE from 1% to 0.7% of GDP the only nation in the developed world to cut. The US has
increased it from 2% to
3% ….”
government
student
BSc to MSc
≈£4k
from HEFCE, capped
≈£3k from
see also
via recruitment quota
studenthttp://www.economist.com/node/17420066?story_id=17420066
2012 entry onward
They even cut the
“F” from
the name
student
BSc provision
Schools
gov’t
≈£6-9k from student
HEFCE cut by £2.9billion: consequent
allocation and policy still unknown
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - funding?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11686883
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
“Browne review made it quite clear that it would
take a fee of at least £7,000 for universities
just to "maintain investment at current
levels", assuming that government funding
would be cut….
Spending Review … effectively remov(ed)
funding for teaching in most subjects”
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
BSc provision - the future?
Universities have a ‘blank page’ to redesign BScs
•
More, fewer, or even NO, BSc-level students?
•
Significant shift upward in minimum entrance criteria?
•
Radical changes to UK/EU-to-international balance?
•
“general focus on skills, employability, and student
experience metrics”
Schools
•
Abandon state involvement - “go private”?
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - the future?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11785053
MSc provision
Questions tabled by opposition
• details of access agreements, (to) which universities will have to
commit … if they are to charge the highest level of … fees
• What is meant … only charge £9,000 in "exceptional
circumstances"
BSc to MSc
• provision … to help equip and recruit students from poorer
backgrounds
• Whether … the government plans to limit student numbers
BSc provision
Schools
• plans to allow private institutions to offer degrees
• plans for a National Scholarship Scheme
• The estimated cost to the taxpayer of its plans, given that
independent analysts have said the government has been overoptimistic in its assumption
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
BSc provision - the future?
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
Support for living
costs to be cut
also
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
A large pile of
… manure
jobs
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
MSc., PhD
3- and 4- year
undergraduate
degrees
How deep in the ….
might we be!? &
what’s needed to dig
us out!?
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc provision - the future?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11483638
Consequent debt on 3-year degree?
“At £6000 … approximately £30,000
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
At £9000 … approximately £38,000”
Repayment at 0-3% interest, starting at £18,500pa
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
beyond BSc - where most of you
recruit from?
Sliding scales mean most graduate employees in
oil & gas sector will be repaying in full at highest
interest rates
Data from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11483638, RAC’s own inference
BSc to MSc
4-year degrees increase projected debt further,
potential huge impact on progression to PhD and
first-degree-entry jobs in e.g contractors
BSc provision
Schools
No position in Browne or CSR on Master’s
funding (news at Christmas?)
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision?
MSc provision
Overall moderately buoyant: none now shutting,
some (re)started where staffing allows (remain
very staff-intensive), demand exceeds supply
BSc to MSc
c.400 places overall (inc. Pet.Eng.), c.250 in
geology & geophysics (c.50% international)
BSc provision
Schools
UK intake to geophysics fragile: lack of
numerate geologists, recruit from outside
geoscience. OS intake keeps most courses viable
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision?
UK/EU fee structure?
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
currently
≈£3k from
Top-up fee set ≈£4k minimum,
amount set by HEFCE, no cap
by course &
institution: varies HEFCE, paid via recruitment
quota
between £0-4K by NERC or
student
across
geoscience
MScs
Fee ‘seen’ by student or sponsor £4-8k
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
MSc provision?
Geophysics: Leeds ongoing & growing, IC
restarted & back to ‘full strength’, small course
started at Edinburgh > about 80
Figures necessarily
80
approximate - vary
year-to-year, course to20
course
…
2005balance 2010
Equal
between NERCindustry-self across
whole geoscience
sector?
10% NERC
30% industry
10% self-funding
50% overseas
(self or institutional
funded)
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
future MSc provision?
NERC: 10-15% real-term cut over 5 years. Likely to drop all
Master’s funding from 2011 despite small % of its
expenditure & disproportionately high return to UKplc
All this cohort
will have large
debts at entry:
may be
prohibitive for
self-funding
10% NERC
30% industry
10% self-funding
BSc provision
Schools
New government rules on
visas already having
effect: unclear if it will
improve, likely to worsen
50% overseas
(self or institutional
funded)
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
future MSc provision?
Universities have ‘blank page’ to reconsider priorities: may
retract from such staff-intensive programmes unless they
were economic: fees could go up or down
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
“UCAS” for Master’s
(“PTES”) to show
great detail about
student experience
10% NERC
30% industry
10% self-funding
BSc provision
Schools
Additional take-up
from industry? Even
in O&G sector many
employers are SMEs
50% overseas
(self or institutional
funded)
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
future MSc provision?
Creative thinking by Masters providers ….
MSc provision
• more bursaries …
• individual and consortium support …
BSc to MSc
• integrate MSc modules with commercial CPD …
• pre-session summer school with credit value …
BSc provision
Schools
• restructured timetables to accommodate parttime …
• international recruitment and ‘moving the brand’
overseas …
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
future MSc provision?
Industry must act NOW to lobby government re.
NERC, fee structure, visas….. universities have and
MSc provision
are (e.g. via CBI) but more is needed
Broader industry involvement in Masters
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
•
advisory panels …
•
individual and generic consortium support …
•
integrate MSc in new-hire training …
•
MSc level Foundation Degree & apprenticeships …
•
pre-MSc internships …
•
funded summer project placements …
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
Into jobs?
• Recruitment - earlier (by c.3-4
months), impacting on teaching
• Visa quotas for hire of non UK/EU:
credibility of UK MScs for
(necessary) OS intake
BSc provision
• Assistance with accrued debt?
Schools
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Onwards from
MSc
The forestry helmet I
shouldinhave
beenprovision …
So hopefully, we won’t step backwards
teaching
wearing …ooops
MSc provision
BSc to MSc
BSc provision
Schools
QuickTime™ and a
H.264 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Views expressed
herein
are those of the lead author alone and not necessarily those of the author’s
School
of Earth and
Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
affiliation & institute
summary?
Schools: NOW geoscience-aware
but potentially oil-industry-hostile?
BSc: IN 2015 possibly better-qualified,
probably ample numbers, definitely
heavily in debt
MSc: NOW funding sources reducing. IN
2016 possibly ample numbers including
international cohorts, definitely very
heavily in debt - overall very uncertain
School of Earth and Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Thanks for
listening
Any
questions?
r.clark@see.leeds.ac.uk
0113-343-5221