Early Career Engineers Network Teams up to Teach

Oxy’s Early Career Engineers Network (ECEN) in Houston, Texas, is an inter-business-unit organization of engineers, geologists and geoscientists in the first five years of their careers at Oxy. In 2010, ECEN members shared their skills with the community by partnering with organizations to teach math and science to local students.

Working with Communities in Schools, six ECEN volunteers tutored Milby High School students at risk of not graduating. Additionally, partnering with Citizen Schools Texas, ECEN members taught an after-school class at Jane Long Middle School and hosted an energy field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

“Our group was looking for a way to utilize our skills and reach out to young people in the community. Tutoring math and science was a perfect fit,” said ECEN co-chair Jeff Matre, Drilling Engineer for Oxy Permian. “One student’s grades improved 10 percent across the board after only two weeks of tutoring! That was really rewarding for our volunteers.”

Oxy Does its home-work with Habitat for Humanity

Employees from several Oxy locations gathered in their respective communities in 2010 to work on home-building projects under the auspices of Habitat for Humanity, an organization dedicated to providing affordable homes and eliminating homelessness worldwide. Oxy employees in Los Angeles, California, and OxyChem employees in Wichita, Kansas, volunteered their services as painters, landscapers and carpenters. In Houston, Texas, Oxy’s Early Career Engineers Network organized an opportunity to help build a home for the new Habitat for Humanity project in Milby Park. The event garnered so much interest that it expanded to include Oxy employees from other departments. 

 See "Oxy Does its Home-work with Habitat for Humanity" video in the Media Library.

Oxy Sponsors Scholarships for Students in Oman

In 2010, Oxy partnered with the Ministries of Manpower and Higher Education in Oman to sponsor 50 scholarships for higher education diplomas in Oil and Gas, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. The scholarships were granted to Omani high school students from limited-income families, to help them pursue higher education and to enhance employment opportunities. As part of the students’ curriculum, Oxy will provide internship opportunities in their final year of study, as well as mentoring. The goal is to develop the scholarship recipients so that they can be considered for full-time employment in the Omani energy sector, including Oxy. 

 See "Oxy Sponsors Scholarships for Students in Oman" video in the Media Library.

Mid-Continent Employees Go the Distance for the American Cancer Society

Employees of Oxy’s Mid-Continent business unit participated in the 2010 American Cancer Society Relay for Life, a 5K walk in Grand Junction, Colorado. As in recent years, Oxy personnel participated in the event and also assisted with its organization. Employees and their families hosted monthly potluck planning dinners to boost participation, and worked with local event planners and sponsors. The 2010 Relay for Life raised more than $220,000 in total to support the American Cancer Society’s work in fighting cancer through research, education, advocacy and assistance to cancer patients and their families.

Qatarization

Oxy Qatar is an active participant and leader in Qatarization, a government initiative to promote recruitment of Qataris for jobs at all organizational levels, from executive management to entry-level positions, in order to build a stronger national workforce and economy. Oxy has a longstanding practice of hiring local employees in its business locations around the world. The company participates in a similar program in Oman. Oxy's Qatarization activities encompass employee career development and retention, as well as recruiting at career fairs and universities. Oxy was a main participant in the first Qatari government career fair and hosts summer internships for university students.

Oxy Colombia's Traveling Social Responsibility Fair

Oxy Colombia chose an innovative way to communicate its social responsibility messages to employees, contractors and local community members, sending the company's first Social Responsibility Fair on a 40-day journey from the capital city of Bogotá to the Caño Limón, Caricare and La Cira-Infantas oilfields.

Aimed at employees, contractors, government officials, local community members and other stakeholders, the project increased awareness of Oxy's social responsibility policies and programs. Nearly 1,100 employees, contractors and community members attended the fair, including approximately 300 in Bogotá, 470 in Caño Limón and Caricare, and 360 at La Cira-Infantas.

At each location, attendees viewed four displays, each covering a different pillar of Oxy Colombia's social responsibility framework. The displays were staffed by pregoneros, young men and women from the community who had been trained as guides. The pregoneros explained the four pillars, presented videos, and invited attendees to participate in interactive games related to social responsibility practices.

The final activity of each visit was the "SR cube," which helped participants visualize how social responsibility is integrated within Oxy Colombia's operations in order to ensure their sustainability. This educational feature demonstrated that the entire system is affected even if only one element is missing.

The project garnered plaudits from observers and participants. Said the Governor of Arauca, Luis Ataya, "In this fair we could see the progress, devotion and seriousness of Oxy and Ecopetrol in strengthening processes that will only bring benefits to all the communities in the province of Arauca."

"What impressed me most?" commented Pedro Avellaneda, a contractor from PTS Colombia. "The way you have presented this dynamic ... by drawing on local and regional culture, by using music. It is really fascinating and has impressed all of us."

OxyChem Achieves with the United Way

OxyChem received the Campaign Achievement Award from the United Way of St. Charles, Louisiana, for its contribution to total campaign improvement in 2007-2008. Throughout the year, the OxyChem Taft plant coordinated events, including an annual run, food contest and education fair, that encouraged local and employee participation, promoted awareness of the United Way and raised additional funding. Donations from employees at OxyChem and other local companies helped raise more than $2 million for the United Way.

Training on the Move

Traversing work sites throughout the 14,000-acre Caño Limón Field, Oxy Colombia's mobile classroom brings HES and social responsibility topics to employees and contractors, utilizing troubadours and other performers to provide an engaging educational tool for ongoing training. Designed in collaboration with Universidad del Rosario, the program seamlessly integrates into the workday, with 20-minute presentations during shift changes or the daily safety talks. Employees have credited the new, innovative methods with helping them to learn key HES topics.