young professionals engage see promising future

Dhahran — Restrictions may have pushed more business into the virtual realm, but it hasn’t reduced the need to maintain an increased engagement, especially among young professionals.

With this in mind, Petroleum Engineering and Development (PE&D) recently conducted a virtual Professional Development Program (PDP) forum with more than 150 PDPs being joined by members of management. The forum gave the PDPs a chance to ask questions and gather advice about their development journey in the company.

advice from leaders and experts

PE&D then-vice president Nasir K. Al Naimi opened the forum by highlighting some of the essential behavior traits that PDPs should aspire to in their pursuit of professional growth and a successful career.

“I want you to feel empowered, invigorated, excited and proud,” Al Naimi said.

“But make no mistake, delivering your future will take hard work, discipline, resilience, patience, life-long learning, and a relentless focus on results.”

In another session, Maiss Al Hammad, a certified career counselor from the Management and Professional Development Department, spoke about the career development tools and services PDPs could take advantage of, such as the My Career website, Mentoring Center of Excellence, and Harvard ManageMentor.

The final segment of the forum was a panel discussion involving PE&D management and participants, which allowed for direct dialogue between PDPs and management.

young professionals positive

Results from confidential surveys of some 170 PDPs in 2018 and 2019 showed that most young professionals say they have seen positive progress in engagement and empowerment during their time so far at Aramco. The survey, which was designed to measure the quality of PE&D programming in relation to PDP engagement, was further echoed by some of those participating in the event.

“The event helped me better understand where I fit in the big picture and how my efforts contribute to the overall success of the company,” said PDP Anwar Alghamdi.

Another PDP, Mohammed Alshuaibi, said the fact that Aramco continues to conduct such events in such trying times shows that they continue to exceed expectations throughout the industry. “I see Aramco at the top of the oil and gas industry,” Alshuaibi said, pointing through the company’s ability to push through the ongoing pandemic. “This shows the resilience and dedication of its employees, and I am proud to be a part of that.”

Ameerah Bokhari said she appreciates Aramco’s investment into her career not only as a young professional, but also as a young woman working in the industry.

“I am proud to be part of this great organization that is pioneering diversity inclusion and woman empowerment Kingdomwide,” Bokhari said. “It is committed to invest and create promising opportunities for women in different fields. I look forward to the upcoming opportunities and challenges that I would be tasked to partake in, where I see myself among the company’s female leaders.”