The BG Trinidad & Tobago Newsletter

www.bg-group.com

September 2012

INSIDE: Chairman’s Awards | Framework for thinking ethically | Trending Development | STEM

BG T&T Life2

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BG T&T Life is distributed to employees of BG T&T four times a year. Feedback and article suggestions are welcome. Contact the BG T&T Policy & Corporate Affairs team as listed below.

Produced byCommunications and Brand UnitPolicy & Corporate Affairs DepartmentBG Trinidad & Tobago5 St. Clair AvenueSt. ClairRepublic of Trinidad and Tobago

ContactZakiya Mills-Francois(868) 224-6133zakiya.mills-francois@bg-group.com

Wendell Constantine(868) 224-6558wendell.constantine@bg-group.com

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Safety

Our Business

Our People

Society

Global Work Management System is coming soon 12

50th Anniversary of Independence 13

Hibiscus goes live with ePTW 14

2012 Shutdowns 16

Block 5d PSC Signing 18

Preparing for 50x20 Seismic 19

A framework for thinking ethically 20

World environment day 2012 32

STEM – the challenge to BG T&T’s growth strategy? 34

BG Science Bus winning through participation 35

Youth development through sport 36

Trending development 22

GDP Assessment Centre 2012 23

BG T&T tops SPETT Energy Conference 24

Positive Energy Day 2012 26

Day in the life of an OIM 28

Leadership update 29

Family Fun Day 2012 30

Revathon 2012 31

Message from Derek Hudson 3

Q&A with Garvin Goddard 4

Farewell Derek Hudson 5

HSSE update 6

BG T&T wins Q2 Gold Hard Hat Award 6

President’s HSSE Awards - Q2 2012 7

BG T&T wins Q3 Gold Hard Hat Award 8

President’s HSSE Awards - Q3 2012 9

Chairman’s HSSE Awards 2012 10

BBS Update 11

Contributing to Road Safety 11

BG T&T Life 3

Message from Derek Hudson, Outgoing President and Asset General Manager

Team,

By this time, all of you are aware that these are my last few weeks in the Asset. It seems like just yesterday that I began this task of being in service to all of you, but in reality it has been five years—years of hard work, fun, and at times disappointment, but most of all it has been five years of a fantastic management and leadership experience for me. Thanks very much for all that you have taught me over the years. The mutual knowledge sharing between us is one of the memories that I will treasure the most.

I must admit that while I planned my exit for some time—for it is always a good practice for a prudent leader to orchestrate his departure from his or her troops—in practice the task has not been an easy one, for it was filled with emotional highs and lows. The highs of course were based on the five years of continuous delivery success, implementation of new facilities and enhancement of those that existed, implementation of a solid HSSE approach to business, development of a sustainable growth strategy and, most importantly, the growth of a people bound together in a creative understanding of what makes the BG T&T business tick. The lows, although few and far between, were significantly characterised by the periods in which people got hurt in the conduct of our business, late delivery of some of our key commitments (?) and the necessity to discipline people when they did not fulfill their obligations to their colleagues and the organisation.

In my encounters with many of you over the last few weeks, either via my walkabouts, breakfast sessions, visits to the field, development pro-grammes, etc., I was always asked the question “What are the key pieces of advice that you would leave for the Asset going forward?” It is not an easy question to answer, but here are a few insights to remember:

a. Focus

Focus is power. Consistently focus on the job at hand and come to work every day with a renewed commitment to do your very best, regardless of the enormity or simplicity of your task. Such a combined force of energy will be the catalyst to move the Asset from very good to great.

b. Control your own destiny

Individuals, teams and organisations which control their own destiny become empowered to go ahead and achieve greater things. The reverse to this is a bunch of followers marching to the beat of external forces; the choice is yours, but it is clear in my mind which one I prefer.

c. Grab opportunities with both hands

In this well connected and complex world that we live in opportunities do not necessarily come with huge foresight and planning. In many instances they come out of the blue and your response has to be thoughtful but direct. Prepare yourself for these occurrences, for they may represent positive turning points in your careers.

d. Do not accept mediocrity

I am of the humble opinion that this practice by some of you contributes a great deal to inhibiting the Asset from moving from “very good” to “great”. I have seen it on many occasions, you make excuses or find workarounds for the shortcomings of others. Call your colleagues on their shortcomings and drive to lift them to your standard of sustained excellence. If they can’t get there then maybe they should not be part of the team.

e. Always act with integrity

Clearly you have heard this from many others who have accomplished great things in life. It is a truism which has stood the test of time. Challenging its importance and veracity is a non-starter in the work place.

f. Push yourself outside your comfort zone

This is a key element in the drive to sustained excellence. I have observed from time to time your reticence to go that extra step, to strive for that final piece of the puzzle, to accept the 80% solution, when the 110% outcome is attainable. Do not inhibit yourself, stretching the boundaries is a fearsome task on most occasions, but do not be afraid to go through the eye of the needle. The pain of the journey is generally rewarded in quantities which far outweigh the negative experiences of the traversed path.

g. There is life beyond work

The benefits of all of the above are best shared with your loved ones, whether family or friends. It is this outcome that actually makes the whole process worthwhile, for in the end it is the real reason that we get up and take up

the mantle at the workplace every single day. Professional satisfaction, self motivation and achievement are important, but they would all be lost if they were achieved in a vacuum, without the external context of the true importance of life. Think about it, but don’t wait too long for life quickly passes by.

Finally I must admit that I have always been quietly proud of the fact that I was the first Trinidadian to lead the Asset. I am therefore doubly proud that I am passing the mantle over to Garvin Goddard, a fellow Trinidadian. Corporations do not do professional favours for individuals—the fact that we are both Trinidadians may have played a role in our appointments, but I can assure you it is not the most critical factor. Ability to perform and knowledge of the business are far more critical in these decisions. It is therefore a red letter day that two Trinis now occupy AGM positions in the Group. I cannot think of a clearer signal to drive many of you to greater heights.

Garvin has made huge strides in his career since joining BG Trinidad & Tobago and brings to the job a sense of maturity, knowledge of the business and a reflective approach which I am certain will lead to even greater success in the business over the next few years. I am also left without a doubt in my mind that you will provide him with the same support, loyalty and commitment that I was gratefully provided with over the last five years.

The ship is now in your hands Garvin; best of luck, over and out.

Life Beyond Derek

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President and Asset General Manager, BG T&T

Q&A with Garvin Goddard

Q: What is your vision for the T&T Asset?

A: The contribution that BG Trinidad & Tobago delivers on a daily basis to BG Group and to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is important to me as I assume this new role. We must continue the successful delivery of the business to our stakeholders.

In order to do this, we must motivate our staff to fulfill their career and personal goals, continue to inspire higher HSSE standards and safely deliver the Asset’s goal of 50 tcf by the year 2020, known to us as 50 in 20.

Q: What is the biggest challenge facing your asset?

A: Safety is always a challenge and linked to it, achieving the goal of zero injuries.

The Asset has spent time and expertise in moving our team to the place where Safe Delivery of the Day is top of mind. It is therefore the biggest challenge and my biggest priority. How we do this is linked to the active contribution of every member of the Asset to live safely, plan safely and deliver the business safely every day.

Q: What will success look like for you this year?

A: We have been consistent in delivery of the business plan year on year for the last five years and we will do so again through the efforts of our team in 2012 and beyond.

However, greater success for me is the delivery of the business plan with no safety incidents for the next quarter and to year’s end.

Q: What is your philosophy about management?

A: As I embark on this chapter in my career, I am a strong believer in collaborative leadership, an environment where everyone considers the problem and works together to achieve the end result. I am mindful though that my role as leader in such a process will be to help the team focus their effort, I have to lead the process in achieving the goal. Now as time goes by we will have to define our management of the business based on what is thrown at us, but our shared experiences of working together will serve us well in the future.

Q: What’s been your best/most rewarding day in your new role so far?

A: As I assume the role as AGM, I am looking forward to many memorable, progressive and rewarding days. I am focused on safe delivery of the day at present.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a manager?

A: Whilst there is no “I” in team, there is the role of leader that I must discharge in service to the team of BG Trinidad & Tobago, in service to the shareholder and in service to the commitment of BG Group to deliver and grow as a business across the globe. I am eager to motivate and build our team and to ensure we meet our commitments to all whom I serve as leader of BG T&T at this time.

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Derek Hudson was BG T&T’s President and Asset General Manager for the last 5 years and has now been appointed President and Asset General Manager, BG East Africa. On 12 September, BG T&T staff said farewell to Derek at a special staff offsite at the Hyatt Regency, Trinidad. Here are some highlights:

Farewell Derek Hudson

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Safety

HSSE4*

0

45

3995

Num

ber o

f

High

Pot

entia

l Inc

iden

ts

No Loss IncidentUnplanned Gas Release, Spill, Production Loss

0

0

0

20

0Serious or Disabling Injuries

(Fatality and Lost Time Injury*)RecordableCases

(Near Misses, Hazards)

Minor Injury (First Aid Case)

Property Damage(Fire, Asset Damage, Road Traffic Accidents,

Intermediate Injuries(Medical Treatment Case or Restricted Work Day Case)

0

Man - hours - YTD: 2,529,499

Total Recordable Case Frequency (TRCF) – 1.58(Staff – 670,906 Contractors – 1,858,593)

2012 Performance BG T&T Total Recordable Case Frequency (TCRF) YTD

Jan

Feb

Mar Ap

r

May Jun Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov Dec

TRCF

Months

01234567

For more information, contact charisse.deolat@bg-group.com

Status Updated 11 Sep 2012

BG T&T wins Q2 Gold Hard Hat Award

Jerome Taylor was one of the first winners of BG Group’s Gold Hard Hat Awards with his noteworthy example of safety performance at work.

Jerome constructed and introduced an innovative MSDS station that ensured compliance with ISO 14001 and OSHA 2004 in the most complimentary terms.

The MSDS station is a one-stop-shop where all in-use Material Safety Data Sheets for the Production Area are stored in a safe, secure and weatherproof environment.

Without doubt Jerome has significantly contributed to the safe delivery on the Hibiscus platform. He leads by example and encourages others to work safely. This unique MSDS Station shows his commitment to safety.

In recognition, Jerome receives a Gold Hard Hat and patch and a letter from our Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director Martin Houston. BG T&T will also arrange for a US$1000 donation to be made to a local charity in Jerome’s name. Jerome selected the Heart of Mary Care Centre in Sangre Grande to receive this donation.

For Q1 2012, two other nominees—Mario Montanez and Sherrad Roopsingh—also made submissions.

“As we go about each day to deliver the business safely, this is a reminder that each and every one of us has a contribution to make and you are encouraged to do so in support of ONE TEAM, building on the successes that we are known for across BG Group.” Derek Hudson

For more information, contact vrijesh.gupta@bg-group.com

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Safety

Observation

Nominees:Damon Selman-Carrington - Excellence in LeadershipMarlon Connell - Tripping Hazard Anita Rambhajan - Unsafe HandrailsShivanand Solomon - Unsafe CarpetJohn Blanchfield - Tripping Hazard

Winner:Damon Selman-Carrington

Intervention

Nominees:Sherrad Roopsingh - Application of Major Accidents Hazards (MAH) training to prioritise work and reduce riskClint Harry - Intervention during crane operationDonald Thomas, Paul Renne, Stephen Mark, Junior Eccles - Elimination of FireJoel Letren - Unsafe actsQuinton Isaac - Certified equipmentNichole Quashie - Safe recovery of mooring system

Winner:Donald Thomas, Paul Renne, Stephen Mark, Junior Eccles

Compliance

Nominees:Mario Montanez - Commitment towards MOC process applicationWilliam Neligan - Introduction & Implementation of work streamsSydney Alexander - Leading a robust MOC process

Winner:Mario Montanez

Contractor Management

Nominees:Alicia Fuentes - Commitment to delivery of new e-Permit system Earth Strong - Environmental Awareness

Winner:Alicia Fuentes

President’s HSSE Awards - Q2 2012

For more information, contact vrijesh.gupta@bg-group.com

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Alicia Fuentes won one of BG Group’s Q3 Gold Hard Hat Awards for her leadership in Safety and commitment to the delivery of the new e-Permit system.

Alicia has worked on this tirelessly for over a year, and has shown a willingness to understand exactly what the customer needs. She has enrolled the workforce to get the needed buy-in for testing, training, and now implementation.

BG T&T wins Q3 Gold Hard Hat Award

She has also taken on the roll of site administrator for the project, and has worked diligently in arranging off-site sessions with the users, and in getting the right people in the right place for such sessions and also VC sessions.

Her level of participation and commitment is an example to all, particularly compared to the “trap and pass” style which can be encountered frequently – whenever she has the ball it is moving forward to the goal.

Congratulations Alicia!

Safety

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Observation

Nominees:Paul Bishop – Damus - Helicopter Hazard Joel Seunarine (Represented By Derek Archer) – Kenson - Minor Gas Leaks Carlon Sydney – Damus - High Pressure Tubing Leak Reynold Diaz – Rahamut Enterprises - Ppe Compliance At Jetty

Winner:Paul Bishop

Compliance

Nominees:Dave Persad (Represented By Derek Riley) – Dolphin - Hand’s Free LiftingJamie Fernandes (Represented By Anil Rampersad) - Beachfield - Fire Extinguishers Hydro-Test

Winner:Dave Persad

Intervention

Nominees:Ravendra Ramkissoon – Central Block - Unsafe ToolSunil Despot – Central Block - Intervention Not To Wear RingTrevor Mohammed (Represented By Dinesh Bissoon) – Dolphin Platform - Helicopter Foreign Object Damage Hazard

Winner:Ravendra Ramkissoon

Contractor Management

Nominees:Marlon Connell – Hibiscus - One Team LeadershipJohn Coing (Represented By Dinesh Bissoon) – Dolphin - Contractor EngagementVan Steel (Represented By Jonathan Browne) – Projects - Spot Safety Awards At Construction Yard

Winner:Marlon Connell

President’s HSSE Awards – Q3 2012

Safety

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Safety

Delivering outstanding asset integrity performanceExecutive Summary

• The catalyst: problems stemming from 1) legacy Gulf of Mexico platform and process design standards and 2) the need to maintain and develop the assets facilities well beyond the originally anticipated field life

• Our mission to safely double net production by 2020 requires a reliable and sustainable facilities management strategy underpinned by outstanding asset integrity (AI) performance

• Enhanced BG Group AI engineering standards provide the drive to perform at a higher level

• The results: BG T&T delivers commendatory AI performance

• Exceeding BG Group AI KPI targets

• Ensuring safe and reliable facilities for the future of BG T&T

• How we do it: Through team work and a common goal of AI excellence

• Implementing a robust continual AI improvement management process focused on AI KPIs, industry best practice, and a sustainable maintenance excellence programme

• Executing a major brownfield AI project in full partnership with the BG T&T asset integrity brownfield engineering team

BG T&T’s finalist in the 2012Chairman’s HSSE Awards were for the following entries:a. Leading and owning HSSE at all levels – HSSE Effectiveness

b. Delivering outstanding Asset Integrity Performance – Asset Integrity

In the HSSE Effectiveness category, our finalist received a highly commended award; while our entry in the Asset Integrity category was the overall winner.

Hearty congratulations to both teams for this sterling effort, which is a continuation of the very good work conducted in these areas over the last twelve months.

Chairman’s HSSE Awards 2012

Leading and owning HSSE at all levels Executive Summary

• In 2011, BG T&T took a significant steps forward towards our goal of zero injuries and HSSE excellence through leadership and ownership at all levels. We are building a safety culture where

• HSSE is at the forefront of all decision making processes

• Risk management and integrated planning enable operational excellence

• We believe in one team – being safe together, staff and contractors alike

• Challenges included

• Major shutdowns and multiple asset integrity (AI) brownfield modification projects across six worksites geographically spread out

• Supply constraint for quality contractors due to high activity levels in energy and major industrial facilities

For more information, contact vrijesh.gupta@bg-group.com

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Safety

For Q1 2012, there was a high incidence of reports of cabinet doors and drawers being left open, indicating a potential for serious injuries. During the month of October alone 67% of the observations logged showed concern regarding open drawers and cabinets.

At first read, this hardly seems a matter of great consequence and certainly not something where most of us give much thought. However, this is instance where a small change in our behaviour another can make a significant difference. The hazards associated with open drawers and cabinets range from simple scratches and tripping to severe injuries.

A Root Cause Analysis of this issue identified the following top reasons for persons leaving drawers and cabinet doors open:

1) Frequently accessing drawers and cabinets

Part of our daily routine requires that we constantly access files and stored items in drawers and cabinets. However, this becomes unsafe when it is done unconsciously and the cabinetry are left open.

Tip: Regardless of how many times you need to retrieve an item, get into the habit of immediately closing what you open.

2) Distractions after opening a drawer or cabinet

At any point in time an emergency or priority will

BBS Update:

Cabinets and drawers left open when not in use can potentially result in injury!

arise that requires immediate attention and it is easy to forget to close open drawers or cabinets as we shift our focus.

Tip: Always take a few moments to look around and ensure that you have closed all drawers and cabinets.

Remember “nothing is so important that it can’t be done safely”.

3) Not understanding the safety risks involved

It is always important to keep in mind that even the most simple tasks have safety risks.

Tip: Be proactive about participating in opportunities available to gain more knowledge and understanding of safety at work. Sign up for the monthly BBS training sessions and access the LMS module on safety behaviours offered on the portal.

4) Faulty drawers and cabinets

Normal wear and tear or improper usage by overloading takes its toll on any office equipment over time. It may seem like an extra bother to request repairs and maintenance, but addressing it in a timely manner will minimise the disruption involved for everybody.

Tip: Become aware of the company’s archiving and clear-desk policies and practice them.

Ask contractors to submit reports on CDs/DVDs rather than the hard copies which take up office space.

Report all malfunctions immediately to the Servus helpdesk

at faciltieshelpdesk@bg-group.com.

Contributing to Road Safety

12 January 2012

This vehicular accident on 12 January 2012 prompted BG T&T to push authorities to have some sort of traffic management system installed at the corner of Sweet Briar Road and Gray Street. As we all know, this is a very busy corner and motorists on the minor road (Sweet Briar Road) often fail to stop at the intersection, resulting in accidents such as the one.

Well, since the end of June….

June 2012

After many months of meetings and site visits with Ministry of Transport officials, and with the assistance of our contractor company Training & Logistics Ltd, two speed bumps have been installed on Sweet Briar Road closer to the Gray Street intersection and the road lines have been repainted.

Through our Safety Bus, we will continue to work with our partners Training & Logistics and Chevron to instill safe driving behaviours to the next generation of drivers – our nation’s school children.

For more information, contact candice.clarke-salloum@bg-group.com

BG GroupGlobal WMS template version 2.0 - High level solution overview (Version v1.1)

Planning &Scheduling

(Maintenance& Shutdown)(Primavara)

Key

Business Intelligence/Reporting(Business O

bjects and BW)Bu

sine

ss In

telli

genc

e/Re

port

ing

(Bus

ines

s Obj

ects

and

BIR

T)

Purchase to Pay(SAP)

Material Cataloguing(Spares Finder)

Work Management(Maximo)

Control of Work(eVision Permit Vision)

CAMS(Traccess)

IAPS(Primevara)

DocumentManagement

(Documentum)

InterfacePlatform

In scope

Out of scope

Integration Touch Points

In scopeInterfaceIn scopeManual

Out of scope(Interface)

Out of scope(manual)

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Our business

Global Work Management System is coming soon

What is GWMS?

Global Work Management System (GWMS) is the enabling tool to be used to facilitate Maintenance Excellence at all BG operating assets. This system has been deployed at the UKU and Trinidad and Tobago is next! QGC and Tunisia will follow in 2013. GWMS delivers full integration of our most popular systems - SAP, Documentum, Primavera and an upgraded version of our Work Management system, Maximo. In addition, the Material Cataloguing tool (Spares finder) will be part of the integrated solution. Subsequently, GWMS positively impacts you! More directly, the end users include Operations, Well Engineering, Projects, Finance, and C&P.

Why GWMS?

Understanding and operating safe, reliable and efficient plant and equipment is fundamental for us to deliver performance targets and growth aspirations. The best way to fulfil our commitment is through

the use of consistent processes and systems designed to enable safe, secure and controlled operations. Today there are a variety of different Work Management Systems (WMS) in operation across BG Group, making it difficult to deliver a standard and efficient way to manage work execution processes. The Global Work Management System (GMWS) will provide a standardized framework for maintenance work management across BG Group.

When to expect GWMS?

The wheels are already turning. Impact Assessment Workshops were conducted with key stakeholders in November 2011. Meetings are underway with key stakeholders on a regular basis with personnel from TVP, UKU and Trinidad. Data cleansing is in progress and data migration is scheduled for November 2012. GWMS Change Agents have been nominated for all impacted departments; and workshops were conducted with departmental representation in July. A go live date of December 7, 2012 is in effect.

Get ready, GWMS is on its way!

Integrated Solution

For more information, visit the BG portal and search for ‘GWMS’

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Our business

Global Work Management System is coming soonIn celebration of Trinidad and Tobago’s 50th Anniversary of Independence and 36th Anniversary as a Republic, BG T&T has placed emphasis on the true meaning of the National Pledge of Trinidad and Tobago and the impact that it can have on the development of our country. The National Pledge is truly an inspiration and the value that it conveys has the potential to impact us in all that we do.

50th Anniversary of IndependenceNational Pledge of Trinidad and Tobago

I solemnly pledge to dedicate my life To the service of God And to my country. I will honour my parents, My teachers, my leaders and my elders, And those in authority

I will be clean and honest in all my thoughts, My words and my deeds.

I will strive, in everything I do To work together with my fellowmen Of every creed and race For the greater happiness of all And the honour and glory Of my country.

1996 First Dolphin production 1999

Atlantic LNG Train 1 start-up

2002 Atlantic LNG Train 2

start-up

Key dates

2003 Atlantic LNG Train 3

start-up2004

Acquisition of Central Block

2005 Manatee-1 discoveryAtlantic LNG Train 4

start-up

2008 Victory and Bounty

wells on Block 5(c) successful

2009First gas from Poinsettia

New 220 mmscfd contract to supply the National Gas

Company commencedEndeavour well on Block 5(c)

successful

2010Loran-Manatee field

treaty ratified

2012Acquisition of

Block 5(d)

BG Group has been operating in Trinidad and Tobago since 1989, and is a key gas producer in the country. BG Group supplies gas to the domestic market and to Atlantic LNG with around two thirds of production being exported as LNG and the remainder going to the domestic market.

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Our business

Following four days of intense training in the electronic permit to work tool, Permit Vision, , Hibiscus Crew A was set to be the first BG Group Asset to deploy the eVision software.

“E-Vision PTW system was a welcome change for the crew; in training, the team quickly embraced the new system and began identifying improvements for future builds,” said Andre Leith, OTL Hibiscus Crew A on the momentous 7 May deployment. “The team recognised great value in the electronic system, its archiving and invaluable lessons learnt capabilities. The system greatly improves how work is controlled on site and is a great management tool for planning activities daily, weekly and future as far as is imaginable. The keen understanding and interest in working with the system made implementation not only a success but a smooth directed transition in the right direction.”

All the necessary support for a seamless “Go-Live” was made available on Hibiscus the weekend prior to deployment: Leadership by John Murray, OIM, and Andre Leith, OTL, guidance and assurance check by David Hepton, BGA’s CoW Programme Manager, real time support by Martijn Rosenstok and Lukasz Kucharski of eVision as well as coaching by Petrofac’s Ronald Calvert and Neel Jagdeo. Hours before the “Go Live” David Hepton

communicated with the VP Operations Phil Hampshire from the Hibiscus platform “I have to say, John and the guys have done a remarkable job in prepping for the go live, which has been done with enthusiasm and in a highly professional manner.”

Crew A diligently utilised the system during their hitch without any hiccups and handed over to Crew B for their turn at adventure. Crew B also embraced the change under the strong championing and leadership of Ashmeed Ali, OTL and Kistappa Deonarine, MTL, along with coaching by Larry Rice and Sherman Ragbir of Petrofac. “I have seen the system place more stringent controls on how we manage Permit to Work and advocates and enforces the need for thorough risk assessments by performing the site visit. The site visits have proven very effective in the risk assessment process. As a tool it has flagged us on potential work conflicts and effectively guided us through the PTW process”. These were words from Kistappa Deonarine, Hibiscus Crew B MTL, after two weeks of using Permit Vision.

One of the key components to the successful deployment was the well orchestrated Level 1-3 training by Petrofac and one-day Super user training by eVision. The consensus by the crews was that the training adequately prepared them for the use of the programme and that it was was reflective

Hibiscus goes live with ePTWBy Alicia Fuentes

Martijn Rosenstok, eVision conducting Super user training with Crew B

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Our business

of the live system. In their opinion the transition to the live system from training mode could not have been easier. Apart from preparing the crews, the Level 1 training was completed by 80 Performing Authorities across 21 of our third party contractors. These Performing Authorities are now registered in Permit Vision and eligible to function in this capacity on any of our sites.

A significant feature of this project is the dedicated permit office. The office has been designed to accommodate four laptops for use by PTW users, a 42-inch screen for viewing permits, and a colour printer. Daily permit meetings are conducted in this room and attended by both crew members and contractors.

Benefits observed

According to Hibiscus OIM John Murray, “the initial implementation of the ePermit has gone very well, and I can see immediate benefits:-

• A shared and common understanding of how a permit is derived, and how we come to the decisions on what needs to be on the permit, what conditions need to be there, and why.

• Maintains the standard – with any paper system, there is the very real possibility of slack practices creeping in, slowly over a long period of time, until the actual rigour of the system is degraded. With an electronic system there is little or no scope for this to happen – the ePermit will apply exactly the same criteria to your application next week, next month and next year, as it does today.

• Use of the electronic system provides structure to the permit planning meetings, and the fact that all personnel in the meeting are sharing the same screen and looking at the same permit provides a focus.

• It has cracked the code of secrecy which surrounded the paper

system – now, the PAs are trained to use the system, can confidently ask questions and apply their own knowledge to the permits, so that they get the right permits, with the right controls, and for the right job. Previously they were not so knowledgeable, and could be at a considerable disadvantage when it came to permit issue.”

Travis Thymes, Competency and Assurance Manager, reflected; “Alicia and the Project team have not only delivered the new ePTW system as part of the FFF (Fit for the Future) Operate programme, but have also ensured that a new paper-based system has been developed, that the PTW procedure was revised and that personnel understand the changes.”

Next Steps

Having heard the positive stories from Hibiscus about the benefits being derived from the implementation of Permit Vision, there has been a pull from the other operational sites to have the system deployed. To ensure benefits of conflict management, auditing at site and from the office, improved risk assessments, dedicated permit office, preparation of draft permits weeks in advance of shutdowns, to name a few, the VP Operations Phil Hampshire has endorsed the transition from paper to electronic for all sites in 2012. The preparations are underway for a “Go Live” on Poinsettia and Beachfield in first week of August, followed by Chaguaramas Base in September. Post ECMA shutdown and BTIC commissioning, Dolphin and Central Block will receive their training and deployment. By end of 2012, BG T&T will be a fully computerised PTW Asset.

Indeed, planning has already begun for future releases of technology to incorporate lessons learnt from the initial deployment and also increased functionality. Such functionality includes:

• Hand-held technologies for remote permit applications

• Management of Locked Open/ Locked Closed valve status

• Management of Inhibits and Overrides

• Stand alone functionality for barge/construction campaigns

• Potential integration with work management and competence assurance systems.

Certainly, the successful deployment to Hibiscus could not have taken place without the conscientious teamwork amongst the T&T Project team, Steering Committee, Hibiscus crews and BGA’s CoW Implementation team. Each individual contributed in a meaningful way to ensuring the deployment was achieved.

As the first Asset within BG Group to implement the Permit Vision electronic permit to work system, Martin Gilroy, Global E&P Operations Manager, expressed, “A successful go live for BG T&T will go a long way to hook other Assets into the programme.”

Andre Leith, OTL, awaiting acceptance of electronic permit by Performing Authority

For more information, contact alicia.fuentes@bg-group.com

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During March to June 2012, BG T&T continued working to prepare for the major ECMA September ECMA, November NCMA and CB shutdowns scheduled for 2012. The Shutdown team preparation to date has included:

1. Preliminary SIMOPS workshops for NCMA and ECMA

2. Site visits to the various facilities to roll out the SD scope, SD roadmap and preliminary operations procedures

3. Lessons learnt workshop for CB January SD

4. Planning and managing the Poinsettia 14hr SD in March and ECMA 28hrs SD in April

5. Multiple meetings to clarify Workscope and Man-hour estimates with the relevant stakeholders.

6. Optimising of the various integrated SD plans

7. Challenging the addition of jobs to the frozen SD Workscopes and

exploring ways to reduce the existing Workscopes

8. “Define” phase Readiness Review for ECMA and NCMA and “Execute” phase Readiness review for Central Block with the review team from TVP in May.

Completed short ShutdownsThe Poinsettia 12.5hr SD was an opportunity to liquidate some of the shutdown required work and also some other PM (Preventative Maintenance) and CM (Corrective Maintenance) jobs. Two additional jobs were added during the SD which extended the SD time to 14hrs from the original plan but was necessary to assist with our continued operational risk reduction initiatives.

The ECMA April SD was opportunity work because Atlantic T4 was

Looking at the path travelled and the direction ahead for 2012 ShutdownsBy David RamcharanShutdown Planning Engineer

KEY ACTIVITY 2012 Calendar Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

ALNG TRAIN 1 SHUTDOWN QI* 6 th

7d QI 6 - 7 th

ALNG TRAIN 2 SHUTDOWN 20 - 27 March 18 September – 16 October

LTPI 8d 28d

ALNG TRAIN 3 SHUTDOWN 25 th May QI 14d QI

4 - 5 th

ALNG TRAIN 4 SHUTDOWN 24 March to 17 April QI QI

28 - 29 th ECMA 34 day shutdown 18 September –21 October X

ECMA 28hr shutdown plus 4 days opportunity work X

NCMA 18 day shutdown 6 November – 24 November X

Poinsettia Shutdowns 12hr in January 14hr in March X X

CB 10 day shutdown 19 – 29 January X

CB 6 day 15hr Shutdown3 September - 10 September X

2012 Shutdowns Forecast Date: 18 September 2012

4a Comp tie-ins,

O&M work

Dolphin: Vent & Blowdown, O&M

Vessel/tank inspections

and BTIC

Shutdown for 14 days -

Train @ 0%

Quarterly Inspection – Train @ 50%

SD required PMs and CMs

BTIC: SDS & DCS tie-ins, full SDS testing, MCC tie-ins and

flow gas from BR and BR-E

Shutdown for 6days -

@ 0% and 2days @ 50%

* Quarterly Inspection – Train @ 0%

25d unplanned

3 September

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Looking at the path travelled and the direction ahead for 2012 Shutdownsunexpectedly offline. The plan included “full shutdown” required work during a 16hr period followed by 4 days of “partial shutdown” required work. The “full shutdown” work was completed in 28hrs, but allowed isolation of the Dolphin Slop Oil Tank. The installation of these isolations allowed for the Slop oil Tank cleaning and internal inspection to be conducted without a Shutdown. The removal of this job from the September SD has a major impact by increasing the available beds for projects personnel to execute their Workscope. At the Beachfield facility the SD opportunity was used for Non Destructive Testing of the base of the Flare Stack (pre works for the September SD) and work on the Pig Receiver Isolation Valve.

Shutdowns on the HorizonThe shutdowns which are our main focus for 2012 as an Asset are:

1. ECMA – 34 day, September to October, major workscope includes Dolphin Relief and Blowdown Project work, other key AIBE (Asset Integrity Brownfield Enhancement) projects. Beachfield Flare Upgrade project work.

2. NCMA - 18 day, November, major Workscope includes 4A Compression Tie-Ins on Hibiscus and Asset Integrity works on both Facilities.

3. CB – 6day, for BTIC Piping tie-ins, SDS & PCS tie-ins, SDS and PCS testing and preparation to flow gas from BR-1 (date to be announced).

Peer Readiness Reviews In line with the OSCAR Shutdown Roadmap, “Define” and “Execute” Peer Readiness Reviews are required 3 months and 1 month respectively before the start of a shutdown with the review team from BGA. The reviews were completed in mid May for Phase 3 of the NCMA and ECMA SD ahead of the 3 month milestone because of the Workscope volume for Dolphin and Hibiscus.

The Phase 3 “Work Development” begins 9 months prior to any major shutdown and ideally all the deliverables are to be achieved 3 months before the shutdown starts. During this six month period the following are the deliverables:

• Submitted Workscope Screened

• Preliminary – HSE Plan

• Execution Plan (P10 – P50 – P90)

• Deck Layout Plan

• Operating Procedures

• Operations Modifications / Projects / Maintenance / Integrity / Vendor Workpacks complete 4 months prior to commencement of the shutdown

• Identify Hot Work

• Update S/D Worklist (Bookies Board)

• Develop Marked up P&IDs & Commence Isolations

• Procurement Tracking Register

• Planning Schedule Review

• Man-hour Estimates Complete

• Risk Management Meeting No 2

• Peer Review Report (Define)

• Additional work process agreed

• Phase 3 Budget Estimate

With the Focus areas being:

• Finalise All Inputs

• Inspection History

• Maintenance Backlog

• HSSE

• S/D History

• Eliminate Non-Shutdown Work

• Stakeholder Communication

• Shutdown Action List

• Peer Review No 1 (Challenge)

• Probabilistic planning

The “Define” and “Execute” Phase Peer Review focused on the deliverables of the SD Roadmap and was based on the seven (7) major categories of shutdown management. The review report identified some gaps which the relevant teams are working on closing out.

June to October 2012Until October 2012 what can we expect?

1. Lessons Learnt workshop for Dolphin April 2012 SD

2. SIMOPS workshops for ECMA and NCMA SD’s

3. Dolphin SD review with Chevron in July

4. Continued Rollout of the Shutdown Roadmap to the various sites

5. Execute Central Block 6day SD

6. Complete work on Phase 3 (“Work Development”) of the BGT&T Shutdown Roadmap

7. Work on Phase 4 (Detail Planning) and Phase 5 (Pre-Shutdown work) of the BGT&T Shutdown Roadmap

8. Pre-shutdown work on NCMA and ECMA

9. “Execute” Phase Peer Readiness Review in August

10. Execute ECMA September SD.

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For more information, contact Derek.Hudson@bg-group.com

Preparing for Seismic

BG T&T recently signed the new PSC for Block 5d on the east coast as part of our growth activities aimed at delivering our 50 x 20 strategy. Block 5d effectively increases BG T&T-operated acreage by 42% and based on initial evaluation has the potential to double the Asset’s reserve base. The majority of the prospects are buried very deep, some as much as 20 000 ft, far beyond the ability of our current seismic data set to adequately image. We therefore plan a new seismic survey to better image these prospects.

Seismic data is our primary tool for identifying new accumulations of hydrocarbons. It is acquired much like an ultrasound used to image an unborn baby. A sound wave is emitted and recorded, which provides information

of the medium through which it has passed. Like an ultrasound this information can be used to produce an image of what lies below the surface and the properties of the material, i.e. is it hard or soft, strong or weak, etc. The technology in ultrasound imaging has progressed over the last decade and so too have the techniques and tools used to acquire seismic data.

The most common method for acquiring seismic data in a marine environment is to tow streamers that contain geophones behind a vessel which record the sound reflections produced from an air gun also towed behind the vessel. The planned seismic will utilise streamers that are 77% longer than those used on the original seismic acquired in 1998. The longer streamers will help immensely with imaging the deeper targets. The streamers will be towed in a SW – NE direction, this is perpendicular to the last acquisition and sea current direction, and is made possible with modern steerable streamer arrays.

By Marc QuesnelPrincipal Geophysicist, BG T&T

Block 5d PSC Signing

On 14 May 2012, BG T&T signed the Block 5d PSC with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs. Mike Mott, BG Group Senior Vice President, Americas, joined us for this significant occasion to sign the documents. There are some key data points here to note:

a. The acquisition of Block 5d nearly doubles our acreage holding in the East Coast Marine Area.

b. It is our first acreage acquisition since we farmed into Block 5c in August 2007; and the first acreage that we have obtained via a negotiation process with the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs since 1998.

c. Seismic acquisition on Block 5d will begin in Q3 of this year and will be the asset’s first seismic acquisition activity since 2001.

d. It is therefore a critical milestone in our drive to achieve our 50x20 growth strategy objectives.

Thanks and congrats to all who contributed to BG T&T achieving this milestone.

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Preparing for Seismic

The seismic survey will cover an area roughly 1400 sq km in size, which is almost a third the size of Trinidad. The closest point to shore is some 75 km away but this does not mean that there isn’t a social impact component of this project. The population of the south-eastern part of Trinidad, like all coastal areas, is heavily dependant on fishing and marine related activities. Therefore, as a socially conscious operator, BG T&T has actively engaged with the community to ensure that a fair and balanced compensation/sustainability programme will be in place during and beyond the time of the seismic acquisition. The environmental component of the programme has not been overlooked either. The survey is planned to take place outside of the normal nesting period of the

leatherback turtles and will follow strict procedures to ensure minimal impact on the marine environment.

What does all this mean for BG T&T? Well by this time next year the final processed volume should be available to interpret,

prospects identified and ranked and the best of the best will be drilled. With the potential for some of these prospects to be true game changers, it puts the Asset on track to achieve its 50 x 20 ambitions and beyond.

Block 5(d)

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Once you have had a chance to absorb this very illuminating piece, I ask that you send me any questions and/or ethical dilemmas so that we can discuss and resolve them in the next issue of BG T&T Life. Please send all questions to the Governance Box at BGTTGovernance.Box@bg-group.com or to Natasha at Natasha.spenceredwards@bg-group.com or to me at app@bg-group.com with the title ‘Ethics’ by 30 September 2012.

And, if you can look at the Danish film, “In a Better World”, originally titled, “Haevnen,” meaning revenge or vengeance, which won the 2011 Oscar as well as the 2011 Golden Globe Award both for Best Foreign Language film, I’d like to know how you would deal with the several ethical dilemmas presented in that movie using the framework set out in this article. Best answer gets a box of assorted cupcakes – for which I will pay! Good Luck! (reprinted with permission).

This document is designed as an introduction to thinking ethically. We all have an image of our better selves of how we are when we act ethically or are “at our best.” We probably also have an image of what an ethical community, an ethical business, an ethical government, or an ethical society should be. Ethics really has to do with all these levels-acting ethically as individuals, creating ethical organisations and governments, and making our society as a whole ethical in the way it treats everyone.

What is Ethics?Simply stated, ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves-as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on.

It is helpful to identify what ethics is NOT:• Ethics is not the same as feelings. Feelings provide important

information for our ethical choices. Some people have highly developed habits that make them feel bad when they do something wrong, but many people feel good even though they are doing something wrong. And often our feelings will tell us it is uncomfortable to do the right thing if it is hard.

• Ethics is not religion. Many people are not religious, but ethics applies to everyone. Most religions do advocate high ethical standards but sometimes do not address all the types of problems we face.

• Ethics is not following the law. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical. Law can become ethically corrupt, as some totalitarian regimes have made it. Law can be a function of power alone and designed to serve the interests of narrow groups. Law may have a difficult time designing or enforcing standards in some important areas, and may be slow to address new problems.

• Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms. Some cultures are quite ethical, but others become corrupt or blind to certain ethical concerns (as the United States was to slavery before the Civil War). “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” is not a satisfactory ethical standard.

• Ethics is not science. Social and natural science can provide important data to help us make better ethical choices. But science alone does not tell us what we ought to do. Science may provide an explanation for what humans are like. But ethics provides reasons for how humans ought to act. And just because something is scientifically or technologically possible, it may not be ethical to do it.

Why Identifying Ethical Standards is HardThere are two fundamental problems in identifying the ethical standards we are to follow:1. On what do we base our ethical standards?2. How do those standards get applied to specific situations we face?If our ethics are not based on feelings, religion, law, accepted social practice, or science, what are they based on? Many philosophers and ethicists have helped us answer this critical question. They have suggested at least five different sources of ethical standards we should use.

Five Sources of Ethical StandardsThe Utilitarian ApproachSome ethicists emphasise that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. The ethical corporate action, then, is the one that produces the greatest good and does the least harm for all who are affected-customers, employees, shareholders, the community, and the environment. Ethical warfare balances the good achieved in ending terrorism with the harm done to all parties through death, injuries, and destruction. The utilitarian approach deals with consequences; it tries both to increase the good done and to reduce the harm done.The Rights ApproachOther philosophers and ethicists suggest that the ethical action is the one that best protects and respects the moral rights of those affected. This approach starts from the belief that humans have a dignity based on their human nature per se or on their ability to choose freely what they do with their lives. On the basis of such dignity, they have a right to be treated as ends and not merely as means to other ends. The list of moral rights including the rights to make one’s own choices about what kind of life to lead, to be told the truth, not to be injured, to a degree of privacy, and so on, is widely debated; some now argue that non-humans have rights, too. Also, it is often said that rights imply duties, in particular, the duty to respect others’ rights.The Fairness or Justice ApproachAristotle and other Greek philosophers have contributed the idea that all equals should be treated equally. Today we use this idea to say that ethical actions treat all human beings equally, or if unequally, then fairly based on

The following article has been reprinted with permission of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University (www.scu.edu/ethics).

A framework for thinking ethically

Angelique Parisot Potter Local Compliance Officer

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some standard that is defensible. We pay people more based on their harder work or the greater amount that they contribute to an organisation, and say that is fair. But there is a debate over CEO salaries that are hundreds of times larger than the pay of others; many ask whether the huge disparity is based on a defensible standard or whether it is the result of an imbalance of power and hence is unfair.The Common Good ApproachThe Greek philosophers have also contributed the notion that life in community is a good in itself and our actions should contribute to that life. This approach suggests that the interlocking relationships of society are the basis of ethical reasoning and that respect and compassion for all others, especially the vulnerable, are requirements of such reasoning. This approach also calls attention to the common conditions that are important to the welfare of everyone. This may be a system of laws, effective police and fire departments, health care, a public educational system, or even public recreational areas.The Virtue ApproachA very ancient approach to ethics is that ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain ideal virtues that provide for the full development of our humanity. These virtues are dispositions and habits that enable us to act according to the highest potential of our character and on behalf of values like truth and beauty. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, tolerance, love, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues. Virtue ethics asks of any action, “What kind of person will I become if I do this?” or “Is this action consistent with my acting at my best?”

Putting the Approaches TogetherEach of the approaches helps us determine what standards of behavior can be considered ethical. There are still problems to be solved, however.The first problem is that we may not agree on the content of some of these specific approaches. We may not all agree to the same set of human and civil rights.We may not agree on what constitutes the common good. We may not even agree on what is a good and what is a harm.The second problem is that the different approaches may not all answer the question “What is ethical?” in the same way. Nonetheless, each approach gives us important information with which to determine what is ethical in a particular circumstance. And much more often than not, the different approaches do lead to similar answers.

Making DecisionsMaking good ethical decisions requires a trained sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that should impact our choice of a course of action. Having a method for ethical decision making is absolutely essential. When practiced regularly, the method becomes so familiar that we work through it automatically without consulting the specific steps. The more novel and difficult the ethical choice we face, the more we need to rely on discussion and dialogue with others about the dilemma. Only by careful exploration of the problem, aided by the insights and different perspectives of others, can we make good ethical choices in such situations.We have found the following framework for ethical decision making a useful method for exploring ethical dilemmas and identifying ethical courses of action.

A Framework for Ethical Decision MakingRecognise an Ethical Issue1. Could this decision or situation be damaging to someone or to some

group? Does this decision involve a choice between a good and bad alternative, or perhaps between two “goods” or between two “bads”?

2. Is this issue about more than what is legal or what is most efficient? If so, how?

Get the Facts3. What are the relevant facts of the case? What facts are not known? Can

I learn more about the situation? Do I know enough to make a decision? 4. What individuals and groups have an important stake in the outcome?

Are some concerns more important? Why? 5. What are the options for acting? Have all the relevant persons and

groups been consulted? Have I identified creative options?

Evaluate Alternative Actions6. Evaluate the options by asking the following questions:

• Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm? (The Utilitarian Approach)

• Which option best respects the rights of all who have a stake? (The Rights Approach)

• Which option treats people equally or proportionately? (The Justice Approach)

• Which option best serves the community as a whole, not just some members?

(The Common Good Approach) • Which option leads me to act as the sort of person I want to be?

(The Virtue Approach)

Make a Decision and Test It7. Considering all these approaches, which option best addresses the

situation? 8. If I told someone I respect-or told a television audience-which option I

have chosen, what would they say?

Act and Reflect on the Outcome9. How can my decision be implemented with the greatest care and

attention to the concerns of all stakeholders? 10. How did my decision turn out and what have I learned from this specific

situation?

This framework for thinking ethically is the product of dialogue and debate at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Primary contributors include Manuel Velasquez, Dennis Moberg, Michael J. Meyer, Thomas Shanks, Margaret R. McLean, David DeCosse, Claire André, and Kirk O. Hanson. It was last revised in May 2009.

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“The site visit was very timely and useful. I was not aware of the ADR process prior to that and the presentation with the interactive session provided a good overview of the ADR process, the rationale and expected outcomes as well as where we could get more information (On the portal). The one thing that resonates with me is the 70/20/10 rule that is a guideline for mapping developmental activities.” - Jamie Fernandes

The role of HR has fashionably been seen as the “systems designer in relation to career process”. We are the custodians of the form, the system and the deadline. Unfortunately, this has left our organisation to view the Annual Development Review (ADR) process as a “tick in the box exercise” of cutting and pasting previous year’s documents. How could we expect employees to take charge of their personal development in isolation? We needed to change the role of HR, and provide our employees with the line information and advice to manage their careers effectively. This gave rise to development discussions with a pilot group in 2011. We recognised that we had to be a source of impartial information for staff – hence the birth of Development Mondays! “I must admit I was a bit uncertain how effective the discussions would have been. I thought it would have been centered on general knowledge about the ADR process. It was totally different from what I expected and I am so glad I came,” commented Daneille Rajaram. Development Mondays is to have informal conversations with staff where HR shares information on the direction of the business, the skills that are needed the future and the meaning of development within the “70-20-10 concept”. Employees appreciated that they could simply stop and have an informal conversation on their development. HR was able to help many understand that even working on a project that is not directly related to your “day job” is also part of overall development, as it involves connecting, collaborating and influencing people who you may not interact with on a daily basis.With Development Mondays, HR demonstrated real interest in individuals and a commitment to help them, and the response was overwhelming. Most people want more information or guidance. about the wide range of opportunities available within the organisation, such as getting varied experiences by stretching oneself and getting involved in the numerous projects happening around the business. HR personnel also visited each offshore site to relay what the ADR process is and how they should prepare for these discussions. We also explained the opportunities that will arise from the 50 in 20 strategy, and that employees should start to prepare today to position themselves to take advantage of these in the future! At the end of this month-long initiative, feedback from our participants indicated that almost everyone wanted to have more regular “informal” discussions on their career. Many participants reminded us that it often takes more than one discussion to resolve an issue, depending on an individual’s transition or decision at the time. HR is committed therefore to help keep this engagement ongoing and we will shortly communicate with staff how we propose to keep the conversations flowing.

Trending developmentBy Stacy Patel-KissoonPrincipal HR Advisor

“The concept worked. It does a good job of linking the development discussion with the line manager and the organisation.”- Ronnie Ameerali

“Typically it’s been said that you are responsible for your own development but these sessions give the feel that HR is partnering with you in your development.” - Christian Stephens

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Tips for givers of career support Tips for receivers of career support

Setting up the discussion – things to do beforehand: the individual in the driving seat; seeking the right person to talk to; setting the agenda; preparing for the discussion.

See the individual as in the driving seat of their own career. See yourself as someone who might be able to help them manage this better. This applies to all employees, not just those you manage.

Put yourself in the driving seat. When you want to discuss your career, don’t wait for someone to approach you. Make sure you get the help you need by asking for it.

As a line manager, try to talk to the people you manage about their future as well as about their current job performance.

If you are helping people who do not report to you, consider whether you need to involve their boss at some stage.

Try and develop a relationship with your boss such that they will actively support your career. If this is impossible, it is still usually best to keep your boss informed.

Explain to your staff where career development fits within your organisation’s approach to appraisal. Let them know if you plan to raise career issues in their appraisal meeting. Suggest a follow-up meeting if career issues come up in appraisal but need more time for discussion.

Tell your staff that they do not have to wait for a formal appraisal to talk about career issues.

Frequent one-to-one progress meetings with your own team make it easy to put careers on the agenda every few months.

Organisations often have a formal appraisal system, or sometimes a separate development review. If you want to raise a career issue in appraisal, tell your boss this beforehand. As discussion time in appraisal is short, ask for a follow-up meeting if there are career issues you could not discuss fully.

Take advantage of other career support you may be offered such as mentoring or development centers. Ensure you follow up the career issues they raise.

Don’t be afraid to offer career support to employees who do not report to you, especially if you can see they are stuck or frustrated or have untapped potential.

Most career discussions do not take place in the context of a formal process such as appraisal.

Think about the best people to help you address your career issues, especially those with whom you could have a really open discussion. If you need information, approach those people who are likely to have access to the information you need. Senior managers, friends and HR professionals can all be helpful, depending on your needs.

GDP Assessment Centre 2012The atmosphere at BG T&T was filled with anticipation for the selection of our 2012 graduates who will be part of our success. The aim of perfection was clear in everyone’s mind, no detail was left unchecked. Some mentionable points were the organisation of the assessors’ tools, name tags for the candidates, photography and many others too big mention. All this in preparation for the big day—the BG T&T International Graduate Development Programme Assessment Centre 2012.Nervous hands and hopeful hearts as the candidates entered through the doors of their future. The warm greeting from the BG T&T hosts wasn’t what they expected, not to mention the delicious breakfast. As they were all fuelled up, the day’s activities began. The candidates were ushered in to a series of interviews and team-building exercises. At the end of the day it was understood that it did not matter if you were “the early bird that got the worm, or the second mouse that got the cheese”— the lesson learnt was it’s not about what you do, but how you do it.

By Fazeeda Mohammed, Anthony Scott, Desiree EdwardsHR Interns

Here are some insights about career planning from an article by Hirsh, Jackson and Kidd (2001) – “Straight Talking: Effective Career Discussions at Work” :

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The 2012 Society of Petroleum Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago (SPETT) Energy Conference, hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, was held 11–13 June at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The theme of the conference was “Developing Resources for Sustainability”. This was an international technical conference and over 200 delegates, representing 14 countries, participated.

Countries included:1. Argentina

2. Brazil

3. Canada

4. Colombia

5. Ecuador

6. France

7. India

BG T&T tops SPETT Energy Conference

8. Nicaragua

9. Spain

10. Suriname

11. Trinidad and Tobago

12. United Kingdom

13. United States of America

14. Venezuela

Over the three days, 55 technical papers and E-posters were presented during concurrent sessions. Each presentation and poster was scored based on presentation effectiveness and technical content. Of the 50 technical presentations, BG T&T’s copped the first prize and all six papers ranked in the top ten.

Kumar Gaurav from TVP won the best presentation prize with his paper SPE157696 titled “Performance Analysis in Coal Seam Gas”. Other BG T&T papers in the top ten were:

• SPE158545 A Greater Dolphin Area Case Study Part 1: Defining Geological Uncertainty - presented by Katy Taylor

• SPE158546 A Greater Dolphin Area Case Study Part 2: Streamlining Subsurface Uncertainty for Business Value - presented by Shelley Persad

• SPE158548 Formation Pressure Estimation and its Impact on well Design: A case study from the Greater Dolphin area - presented by Ronnie Ameerali

• SPE158827 Use of Pressure Transient analysis for the Detection of Gas/Water Contact Movement in a Gas Reservoir - presented by Elyes Yaich

• SPE158831 The Evolution of the NCMA Well Start-up Philosophy - presented by Ravi Madray

Shelley Persad, BG T&T Principal Reservoir Engineer, delivering the Welcome Message at the conference opening ceremony. Seated from L-R: Aleem Hosein (Managing Director at ANSA Technologies), Senator the Honourable Kevin Ramnarine (Minister of Energy), Brian Ramatally (Managing Director at CASL and 2011/2012 SPETT Board Chairman) and Mark Corrigan (Schlumberger Global VP of Quality).

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Beside the technical presentations, here is a look at how BG T&T and BG Group employees contributed:

• Leading up to the conference Hasley Vincent and Nik Kalita led a group of ten students to Mayaro for a field trip course titled “Outcrop Constraints to Reservoir Modelling with Examples from Mayaro Bay”.

• On the first day of the conference, Mark Hayes, Subsurface Assurance Manager, participated on a deepwater panel session titled “Diving into the Deep”.

• On Tuesday, 12 June, Bryan Sealy participated in a panel session “Bridging the Generation Gap”

• On the final day, Derek Hudson participated in a panel session “Managing a Business in a World of Uncertainty”.

• BG T&T also participated in the Young Professional Meet and Greet Event. This was a career fair event and over 70 final year B.Sc. and M.Sc. engineering students attended.

A team of ten volunteers was responsible for the planning and execution of the conference. The following BG T&T personnel were volunteers on the planning committee:

• Narish Harripersad – Short Courses Co-ordinator

• Hasley Vincent – “Soca Train” Field Trip Co-ordinator

• Ansara Sattaur – Sub-Committee member

• Shelley Persad – Conference Chairperson

Derek Hudson gives his contribution to the debate

Kumar Gaurav – BG Group accepts the prize for the best presentation from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Selwyn Lashley.

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Positive Energy Day 2012As an organisation, we touched the lives of many men, women and children through your very generous donations of food, toys, personal and other household supplies. What was even more outstanding, was the time that you spent in the various charitable homes – from the babies at the Halfway home in Belmont; to the toddlers at the La Fillette Early Childhood Centre; to the young men at Marian House; to those persons in their final days at the Hospice in Newtown.

“I was amazed that my image of need for the less and unfortunate people of society turned out to be completely different to what the less and unfortunate reality of need actually is. After my personal experience with an orphanage in Tobago, the items we overlooked and did not purchase turned out to be the needed items. It then hit me that it also did not cost much to provide and opened my eyes to want to now help on a monthly basis.”

- Sean Bunbury

“I spent my morning with the Operations team at the Sylphil orphanage in Scarborough, Tobago. The smiles on the faces of the kids when the gifts were given out and when they conversed with you; along with the humility of the leaders at the home would stay with me and the other Operation team members forever.

All of you are a testament, not just to what an exceptional organisation looks like – but you have demonstrated again how exceptional you are as people.

I am very proud today to be in service of all of you.”

- Derek Hudson

“My introduction to the patriarch Mr. Phillips: hearing his story of pure commitment from the age of 27 when he started, his wife in total agreement to open up their home, her death and the passing of and assumption of patriarchal role by his son. At 79 you still hear the passion in his voice. It goes to show he was doing something that he loved and still has a passion for, he never worked a day in his life to look after his 200+ children through the years.”

- Jenny Smart

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“For many of us, the day was filled with mixed emotions from seeing the faces of joy as the gifts and donations of toys (some personally labelled) were given to these kids, to sharing in that joy and playing along with them. But too soon came to time to depart, and along with it came the moment of heartbreak. For the kids, some were saddened, even vexed. For our team, all was silent. In our hearts, I am sure we were all saying the same thing: all kids deserve to be happy, and for a day, we gave them that happiness.”

- Reginald Pantin

For more information or to be a part email Candice.ClarkeSalloum@bg-group.com

“On entering Sylphil Home one of the kids greeted me, a complete stranger, with a tight hug, and that love continued throughout the day. The moments of playing MONOPOLY, and making up my own rules made it seem like I was home. Maybe it was the “Dollies”...LOL.

The dreams of selfless individuals extending their homes and giving hope to kids was inspiring. When we were taken to view their new home, it blew us away and made me reflect at that moment with a vision. With love and God’s grace, all things are indeed possible, no matter the wait.”

- Shirlene Jeremiah

“For me there were several special moments. I remember Mr. Jack’s amazement when he saw the appliances “Perfect...just perfect …perfect shopping … like you all read my mind … yeah … perfect shopping”. We eventually told him that we had consulted his wife. Then there was the outpouring of love from the children after they quickly warmed up to us. “This better than Christmas,” a little girl told me. For the small effort it required, the return to me was fantastic.”

- Ian Fraser

“This was an amazing visit and a reminder to me how little it takes to add some happiness to people’s lives and especially how just spending time with fellow human beings is often the most important part and also the most rewarding experience.”

- Raymond Thompson

“For me, there were many special moments in this visit which touched my heart. The excitement of the children when they received their toys took me back to my childhood days. The smiles on their faces to get the rare treat of pizza, KFC and ice cream reminded me of how we can take these simple things for granted. The creativity and talent of these kids and their spiritual connection to God in spite of the hardships they have experienced was inspiring. The most poignant moment for me was seeing the unfinished new home for the kids, seven years in the making, and a lot more work yet to be done before they can move in but still a symbol of hope for a brighter future.”

- Salisha Khan

Our people

What is an OIM? Well he or she is the most senior person on an installation and the position came about after the Sea Gem drilling rig collapsed and sank in the southern sector of the North Sea with a loss of 13 lives. The Inquiry recommended that “... there ought to be a ‘master’ or unquestioned authority on these rigs” and that “... there ought to be the equivalent of a shipmaster’s daily round when the ‘master’ could question those responsible for different aspects of the day-to-day management of the whole. The OIM is a priest, a salesman, an engineer, operational supervisor, psychologist, switching hats throughout the day.

A typical day? There isn’t one, except the planned routine meetings, of which there are many and which seem to increase on a weekly basis. If there is ever a market for meetings and email traffic, we may well be the market leaders. The Dolphin is unique as it is constantly a construction site and will be for some years to come as it is developed into the main hub for the ECMA and is a very important asset for BG T&T and Trinidad and Tobago. We fully intend to make her the Barcelona of our operations.

Running a gas platform that is also a construction site has many challenges and it takes a team to ensure we produce gas safely and run a safe construction site.

What makes the task easier is the natural good humour and positive attitude of the Trinidadians, which is infectious. When the crew start to speak amongst themselves, though, I miss quite a lot until they slow down, just for me to fully understand.

I meet every helicopter arriving and personnel departing and try to get everyone to visualise safety in a personal manner by asking ‘Would you have your son or daughter standing beside you as you undertake this job?’ If the answer is no, it’s not safe for you, so stop the job. If we can get everyone to think on a personal level and how it would affect their family, we will be a long way towards the goal of Zero Harm.

What I tell my team is that at any moment, there can be a life-changing event and we should never believe that we are invulnerable, because when we have that train of thought we are at risk.

Two days offshore during my career stand out in my memory and both events happened in an instant.

Thursday 20 November 2003, in the morning on the Bleo Holm FPSO situated in the Moray Firth, 30 minutes by helicopter from Aberdeen. We were hosting a journalist who was completing an article for the owner of Bluewater for the 25th anniversary of his company and the book was going to be in the Dutch library. Hugo Heereema is the sole owner and he once asked me if there was anything he could do for me? I answered perhaps adopt me! He replied I was a little old, pity. Some minutes past 0900hrs

into the T break, I hear a commotion from one of the offices next to mine, so I go through and no one wants to look me in the eye. I ask what was going on, and I am told there is something on Sky TV news I need to see. I left and went to the TV room to see that there has been a bombing of the British Consulate in Istanbul where my daughter is stationed as a member of the Diplomatic Corps. My wife, son and I had visited six weeks earlier and had met all the people, and now it’s a disaster zone. Lots of frantic calls to the Foreign Office, but luckily my daughter is found four hours later with nothing life threatening. Fourteen people were killed, including my daughter’s best friend, and it could so easily have been different. At a time like this you call for all the help you can and my wife and I made promises and that is why we started to go back to church!

Thursday 12 March 2009, 0900hrs, offshore Newfoundland Canada as OIM for Husky Energy on the SeaRose FPSO. I have my boss on a visit since the Tuesday and I’m glad the helicopter is on route so I can get some peace after he has gone. The helicopter is an S92 state of the art and takes 90 minutes for the 217 miles journey. I get a call from the bridge: the helicopter has a ‘technical’, and is returning to St. John’s—standard procedure, nothing to worry about. My boss continues our chat. 0940hrs, ‘Mayday’ declared and at 0948hrs, lost from radar. Then the training kicks in and emergency procedures enacted. We lost 17 people that day with only one survivor and meeting the families and seeing the effect on my crews is truly devastating, and we must do everything in our power to make sure we never experience such an event.

Both of these events had risk assessments. The helicopter oil system had been given a statistical chance of such a failure of 1 in 10 million. There had been a crash in Australia the year before and a time table based on risk for the bolts to be changed. I urge everyone in our industry to take a moment and always remember it’s statistical probability and not pure science. When we assess risk, it’s a gamble.

I hope you all notice as well that both these events were a Thursday so unsurprisingly I don’t like Thursdays!

When I leave Trinidad next year there are two things I will always remember: no Trindadian alive can pass through a galley without stopping to eat something, and the greeting ‘Morning, Morning’. After I had been here a couple of trips my wife one day said ‘What are you doing?’ I said what, to which she replied as you are meeting people you are repeating the word morning! And people are looking at you rather strange! Anyway I still apparently say the same greeting, so a little bit of Trinidadian culture will always reside in the North East of England in a town called South Shields. I am also trying my very best to turn my crew into Rabid Sheffield Wednesday FC supporters, well fair is fair.

Day in the life of an OIMBy John Coing - OIM Dolphin Platform

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Our people

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Derek Sturgis

Well Engineering Manager

Derek Sturgis has joined BG T&T as the Well Engineering Manager and member of the Asset Leadership Team (ALT). Derek has been with BG Group for nine years and has held various well engineering technical and leadership positions in both Egypt and Brasil. Prior to that Derek held various drilling, completion and operational engineering and supervisory roles with Halliburton and ExxonMobil in the USA, Brazil, Egypt and Russia.

Unexpectedly finding Well Engineering early in his career, Derek has always enjoyed the varied project nature of the work and the real time feedback it provides. Whereas some people like to think the drillers “spend all the money”, Derek feels the well engineering function is a core part of value equation. He is always looking for new ways to improve performance via working relationships and new technologies. He has always been attracted to the cutting edge technologies developed in the deep-water side of the business and he is recognised within well engineering as the deepwater subject matter expert (SME).

Derek feels very privileged to be a part of the BG T&T team and aims to play an integral role in delivering beyond on our promises to BG Group. Derek holds an honors degree in Chemical Engineering and is joined in Trinidad with his wife and young son. When he is not working, Derek likes to stay active to keep his endurance level up for the various water sports he is passionate about, particularly kite surfing.

Leadership updateOur people

Welcome to the leadership team Derek, Shawn and Jenna

Shawn W. Francis ALNG Asset Manager

Shawn was educated at the School of Accounting and Management (SAM), where he passed two degrees, one from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants “CIMA” and an associate degree in Business Administration. He then worked as a student lecturer at SAM, and in 1994 moved into the private sector as an accountant.

Shawn joined BG T&T in 1996 as an accounts payable clerk, but was quickly promoted to well cost accountant, followed by a role in management reporting. In 2000 he joined the commercial team as an economist, then senior economist, followed by an overseas assignment at BG Group’s head office as a member of the Strategy Planning and Economics team, where he worked on developing economic and financial models for BG Group’s opportunities in Nigeria, Madagascar, India, Algeria and North West Africa.

In 2006 Shawn returned to BG T&T as the Head of Economics, a job he has held until his recent appointment to the leadership team and as the Asset Manager of the ALNG department.

Shawn still believes that commitment, hard work, the ability to seize opportunities and the ability to anticipate your stakeholders is key to success in any role. Despite being “on the wrong side of 30”, he still plays competitive cricket and also enjoys non-competitive football.

Jenna Joseph NCMA/CB Asset Manager

Jenna joined BG T&T in May 2003 and has held various roles within the Finance Team. Jenna has a solid financial background with twelve years of accounting and auditing experience in the oil and gas industry, with specific focus on Production Sharing Contracts and Joint Venture management. She is a qualified Accountant and Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.

Jenna is no stranger to the leadership team as she worked closely with management in her previous role as Deputy Finance Director to lead performance management of the BG T&T’s results against targets and provide financial assurance into major commercial and other arrangements. She also acted in the position of VP Finance on two occasions. She is looking forward to integrating her knowledge and experience into the asset management role which provides a welcoming challenge and a great opportunity to contribute to the continued success of the asset and BG T&T as a whole.

In her personal time Jenna loves spending time with her family, the favorite of which is her two year old son. Singing and dancing are other past times that keep the spirit free and heart joyful!

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BG T&T’s Family Fun Day 2012 was a day of fun for all. The day started with the five teams competing in the march past competition and continued with a wide range of novelty activities and Water Park for the children.

The competition was fierce but fun. In the end Team Flare Energy emerged the overall winners. They also copped the title for the march past competition and the best queen.

Family Fun Day 2012

“This was the BEST Family Day I have attended and I’m working here long time. Thanks for a Great Day!”

Maylin Chai-Hong - Finance

“We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the day.”

Carla Douglas-Phillip – Legal

“Fantastic job on the planning of the event – it was extremely well organised… great events for the little children and the big children (staff).”

Laure Sanatan – Well EngineeringCongratulations to all teams – Flare Energy, Purple Reign, Robotrons, BG Rocketeers and Go Green.

Members of BG Rocketeers waving to supporters

Red Robotrons after winning the tug of war competition

Flare Energy celebrating after winning the march past competition

Some members of team Flare Energy celebrating after being crowned overall winners.

Corene Procope waving to the crowd after being crowned best Queen

Our people

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Andrea Alleyne

“Revathon was more intense than I had imagined. It was as mentally demanding as it was physically challenging, but it was a good experience. I was particularly pleased to have completed my heat without injury and without embarrassing my teammates and spin instructors.

It is a real test of endurance. It didn’t appear as though much attention was paid to form and technique, and that was a bit disappointing as spin is not only about tension and speed.

Spin classes leading up to the event were increasingly intense and almost accurately depicted what was to be expected on the day. The only misleading part about our training and the actual event was the absence of recovery breaks. The Revathon was non-stop pace and increasing tension. In our spin classes we are given opportunities to recover in between high intensity sprints, climbs and jumps to bring your heart rate down, but this was not the case during the Revathon.

The heat in the Jean Pierre Complex and the lack of recovery breaks adversely affected my performance.

My performance could have been improved perhaps by training in similar temperature conditions. I

would probably also have benefited from taking spin classes from other instructors (including outside of the Wellness Centre) to expose myself to different spin styles as the Revathon instructors were very varied.

I owe tremendous gratitude to Clint and Simone who teach the 6 am spin class at the BG T&T Wellness Centre and prepared me for this event. I’d also like to shout out to Camille, Jason, Homer and Angela for supporting each of the participants at regular training during the week at the Wellness Centre and especially on the day, encouraging us and cheering us on when we started to fade. Thanks also to Lenwyn and June for massaging out all of the muscle kinks and strains prior to and after the event.

I have to thank my teammates for their support, encouragement and dedication in every spin class and on the day. We entered the competition saying “All for one and one for all” and we stuck to that. Well done team!

Finally, an extra special thank you to the Operations Department for stepping in and sponsoring the BG T&T team with uniforms, registration and refreshments when we couldn’t get the financial support we were seeking.

For the time being I plan to continue spinning to develop my endurance and improve my fitness. Whether or not there will be another Revathon in my future remains to be seen, but I’ll continue to train with that goal in mind.”

Livia Eptas

“The Revathon was a great experience for me. This was actually the first time I have entered this kind of competition and I didn’t really know what to expect. I did my best and managed to get to the final round, which was an excellent achievement for me as I only started with spinning in April of this year.

The Revathon is great way to challenge yourself and test your ability. It is also interesting to work with a variety of instructors each with a different style.

Our instructors from the Wellness Centre provided us with good training and support.

The shortness of my training—as I mentioned above, I only started to train in April—and the fact that I had too much water before final round impacted my performance.

An hour and half of spin is quite challenging, so building the strategy is important to pull through it. I made a silly error of drinking

a lot of water just before final round and I ended up with full bladder through entire an hour and half...definitely not good idea!

I especially thank Simone from the BG T&T Wellness Centre, who got me involved in this competition, and the Wellness Centre team for all the support in the lead-up to the competition.

I want try to improve my strength and strategy so as to have greater success in the next competition!”

Rudy Alexander

“My Revathon experience was wonderful. Revathon is an exciting experience that gives you an opportunity to test your endurance level. The practice sessions were not just fun, they also assisted in maintaining your fitness level. I believe that my performance was at the highest level.

I probably could have increased my tension much more. Shout out to all that took part. You guys showed spirit. Great support from BG T&T. Next for me is to be crowned # 1.”

Revathon 2012BG T&T team had two finalists at REVATON 2012. Here’s what some of the participants had to day:

Our people

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Society

In observance of World Environment Day on 5 June 2012, BG T&T’s HSSE team executed a series of environmental awareness programmes to stimulate environmental awareness among those within our sphere of influence (employees and their families, NGOs, schools, communities, corporate entities) and empower them to become change agents in support of positive environmental action.

2012’s theme was “Green Economy: Does it include you?” A Green Economy is based on the concept of sustainable development – it is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. It is characterised by reductions in carbon emissions and pollution, energy and resource use efficiency as well as preventing loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

A Green Economy promotes the following:

• Green economic services and industries that provide green jobs and green products

• Equitable allocation of environmental benefits and costs within society

• Valuing the services that ecosystems provide to people and the economy in order to secure these services for today and for future generations

The programme spanned a month of activities rather than a week as in previous years to encourage wider participation. The programme comprised:

• Interactive educational initiatives

• Environmental quiz and competitions

• Fence-line school awareness initiatives

• World Environment Day Walk

• Positive Energy Day activities

Interactive initiativesA number of interactive initiatives using a range of media and tools were employed in order to educate staff about the Green Economy concept and increase their awareness. Chief among these was the incorporation of “green economy environmental moments” to kick off many of the regularly scheduled monthly and weekly team meetings (e.g. ALT, EAD, BUILD) rather than the traditional safety moments. Various communiqués were also widely circulated via the multimedia screens dispersed across the office buildings and all staff emails.

Staff competitionsCompetitions were also launched to appeal to the diverse talent and operations across the organisation. The very popular and highly subscribed Photography Competition gave staff the opportunity showcase their appreciation of the environment in 3 categories: the natural beauty of the environment, threats to the environmental and local green initiatives. Approximately 60 photos were entered into the competition, all of a very high quality, which made the judges decision very difficult.

All offsite operations were also given the opportunity to put on their thinking caps and conceptualise a simple environmental project that could benefit their site in the Best Site Eco-Project. The winner will receive a challenge trophy and funding to implement the project.

Children of employees between xthe ages of 4 to 9 were encouraged to participate in the poster competition and those between age 10 to 17 in the essay competition.

The poster completion was open to kids between the ages of 4 to 9 years.

World environment day 2012

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Society

The essay competition targeted the age group ranging from 10 to 17 years.

There was also stiff competition and quick fire entries in the World Environment Day Quiz with three grand prize winners being selected. Eight consolation prizes were also distributed.

Fence-line school initiativesIn keeping with BG T&T’s contribution to improving the development of our youth, we partnered with two environmental Non-Governmental Organisations, Caribbean Youth Environmental Network and Earth Strong, to deliver interactive lectures on the Green Economy concept at four fence-schools. The schools involved were Guayaguayare Secondary School, Guayaguayare R.C. Primary School, Cowen Hamilton Secondary School and St Mary’s Government Primary School, located in Moruga.

The Bishops Anstey High School choir performed a very moving dramatic rendition called Mother Earth at the staff townhall meeting held on 1 June, which included messages about preserving our environment.

Positive Energy Day activitiesEmployees from the Logistics Base along with some external organisations participated in a beach cleanup of the Chagville beach as part of the BG T&T Positive Energy Day campaign. which coincided with Positive Energy Day Activities

World Environmental Day walkOn 5 June, World Environment Day, BG T&T was joined by six external organisations in and around the St. Clair area to participate in the World Environment Day Walk around the Queen’s Park Savannah. This flagship event was very well supported, with over 220 people participating in the walk. The organisations that participated included ANSA McAL Limited, the British and Canadian High Commissions, Digicel Limited, Earth Strong and the Office of the Prime Minister.

In all, the programme was well received and supported by staff, with several environmental champions voluntarily taking up the mantle to share information with other staff members through team meetings, emails and word of mouth. Thank you to everyone who supported, endorsed and participated in the programme of activities and made it a success! We look forward to an even bigger and better World Environment Day Programme in 2013.

“In all, the programme was well received and supported by staff with several environmental champions voluntarily taking up the mantle to share information with other staff members through team meetings, emails and word of mouth.”

Social

Bearable Equitable

Sustainable

ViableEnvironmental Economic

For more information, contact ria.lewis@bg-group.com

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Society

Can the industrial sector in Trinidad and Tobago end up like the jilted bride – all dressed up with nowhere to go? As spurious as this question may seem, the sector faces a major challenge over the next fifteen to twenty years to attract and retain the requisite skilled manpower to exploit and process our oil and natural gas resources and also diversify the economy’s productive base.

Let’s first examine the situation internationally before we return home. According to the National Research Council, Washington, DC1:

The global quest to find adequate graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects is increasing their costs and creating disquiet within industrial and manufacturing sectors. In making his case for improving STEM education in Nigeria, Dr. Promise N. Okpala, Research Professor of Educational Evaluation and Registrar/ Chief Executive National Examinations Council (NECO) Minna refers to strides made by China. He argues that Chinese officials recognised that STEM subjects were more important than other subjects because the overall societal contribution from a STEM graduate exceeds that of a social scientist or humanities major (Atkinsons and Mayo, 2010). Dr. Okpala concluded that China’s deliberate policy contributed to its threat to U.S. innovation and economy. He recommends that Nigeria place greater emphasis on teacher quality, policy guidelines and huge budgetary allocations to STEM subjects, at all levels of education.

In Trinidad and Tobago, very few secondary schools and colleges offer high quality science programmes and many students who enter secondary education with enquiring minds are turned off by either limited spaces, absent labs, outdated teaching methods or unqualified teachers. The latter’s inability to link abstract concepts in math and science to everyday living further alienates students, who opt for alternate subject groupings like Business Studies.

Poor performance in mathematics and science subjects at primary and secondary schools translate into low enrolment rates in STEM subjects at tertiary institutions. The dearth of local scientists, technicians and engineers already impacts the energy and general industrial sectors and this may intensify in the future.

BG T&T’s growth and survival depend on the availability of a qualified and well-trained work force. BG T&T is currently developing a strategy to enhance educational output in science, maths, English and engineering skills. The local industrial and manufacturing sectors must do likewise and invest in STEM education now to create their future work force, or risk being marginalised amidst the global demand for these scarce skills ... all dressed up with nowhere to go!

STEM – the challenge to BG T&T’s growth strategy?By Leslie BowrinHead Social Performance

1 National Research Council, Division of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC, The National Academies Press. (2011): Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Committee on Highly Successful Science Programs for K-12 Science Education. Board on Science Education and Board on Testing and Assessment, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

“Employers in many industries lament that job applicants lack the needed mathematics, computer and problem-solving skills to succeed, and international students fill an increasing portion of elite STEM positions in the United States. However, an increasing number of foreign students are finding viable career options in their home countries. This is particularly true for China and India, which, in December 2009, provided 47 percent of the approximately 248,000 foreign science and engineering students in the United States, thereby limiting the talent pool available to U.S. employers.”

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For more information, contact maureen.clement@bg-group.com

The BG Science Bus was given an opportunity to expand their horizons and interact with the general public. This indeed can be a learning experience for the crew, allowing for growth and development especially in the area of interacting with members of our cosmopolitian society complete with our diverse cultural composition. This opportunity presented itself in the form of participation in three activities. The activities being: The Ministry of National Security Fatherhood Fair, UWI Mathematics Symposium and India’s Science Expo.

The Ministry of National Security Fatherhood Fair was a one-day affair hosted at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, in June 2012. All crew members were present and the Science Bus Exhibit was set up in the designated area. In keeping with safety, and interacting with as much children as possible, another tent was utilised with the permission of the organisers. There was a general feeling of joy, fun, excitement and enthusiasm. A high percentage of the participants wanted more information about the BG Science Bus and how to have the bus visit them. The crew were seen encouraging father/child joint ventures with one father going so far as to state, “the BG Science Bus treatment will encourage him to go to things like these.”

The Mathematics Symposium hosted by the School of Education, UWI, was open to the public and the BG Science Bus was invited to share with their target audience. Our participation revealed that the main participants were educators. One crew member best describes our participation here as having a ‘concave lens effect’, a single activity but persons in education from all across the country being reached. The major

thrust of our participation was new and fun ways to do mathematics. A great deal of the visitors wanted to know the sources of the BG Science Bus Fun Maths Equipment. The JEOPORDARY GAME and Tracing Activities generated much interest and excitement.

The third and equally exciting event was the BG Science Bus participation in the expo hosted at the Divali Nagar site in Chaguanas. Entitled “India: A Culture of Science” and managed by Niherst; again we were invited to participate. Participate we did, focusing on the theme of ‘circuits’, with activities from as simple as a styrofoam cup and saucer boat to genes circuit involving Apple’s I Pad. Schools, community groups, police youth clubs, special needs institutions, university students, parents, children and the general public all visited and interacted with us. Information from the hosting managers revealed that their evaluation instrument gave them the impression that ‘the BG booth was the best’. The Expo engaged many resource personnel who all visited us. Police officers, fire officers, fire wardens, safety officers, contractors, other exhibitors as well as ground staff, all came to the now popular BG booth to break the monotony of their day’s duty. Students were repeatedly encouraged by their custodians to leave the BG Science Bus area and go on to other exhibits! The Exhibit also saw the creation of the ‘BG Science Bus Safety Folder’ for the coordinator.

It is felt that the participation in these activities gave rise to a win/win/win situation. The crew won by being able to grow and develop, BG T&T won by being able to be of service, and the public won by being able to interact with the BG Science Bus.

BG Science Bus winning through participation

Society

Society

Youth development through sport

Under 13: Joint winners South East & Central Under 15: East (winner) with Central Runner up

Under 19: East (Champion) with Central Runner Up

The BG T&T National Zonal Youth Cricket tournaments concluded in June. Here are the results:

Under 17: North Champions

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