- Email: [email protected]
New jobs in energy research and development—A survey
New Jobs in Energy
Research
and Development-A
Survey
51
New Jobs in Energy Research and Development-A Survey* Donald Lawrence Davist
This article presents some of the findings of a very comprehensive survey of the scientific and technological industrial research and development organizations in the Houston Gulf Coast area. This article argues that there are new and emerging occupations in energy research and development, and, presents some of the attributes that industrial organizations felt were desirable for individuals entering these occupations. It provides a means to facilitate the short- and long-range planning of industrial organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions in the hiring and training of individuals for new and emerging occupations in energy research and development.
Introduction Since the oil embargo four years ago, there has been an accentuated awareness of the need for increasing energy research and development. However, no one had investigated the possibility that new and emerging occupations would arise in energy research and develop ment or what the characteristics of individuals who may fill these new and emerging occupations might be. Therefore, this article presents some recent findings of a survey which was conducted on the industrial research and development organizations in the Houston-Gulf Coast area on new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. The findings of this survey reveal that new and emerging occupations are developing in the field of energy research and development
‘Support funds were provided by an Energy Research Grant, Contract No. PSAG 75-1, from The Energy institute, University of Houston. The findings of this study have been published earlier in ‘An Investigation into New and Emerging Occupations for Energy Research and Development: Summary Document’, Energy Institute, October 1976, and the research report on New and Emerging Occupations in Energy Research and Development published jointly by The Center for Human Resources and The Energy Institute, forthcoming. The research team for this project consisted of Joseph E. Champagne, Susan Midtgaard. Larry Biair. Jorge Zambra, Kathleen Quinlan, Harry Gill, Chuck Foster and Al Warneke. tAssistant Director for Academic Programs, Center for Human Resources, and, Research Associate, The Energy Institute, University of Houston, Texas.
and provide insights on the characteristics of individuals who may fill these occupations. These findings should help increase the effective planning of industrial organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions involved in the hiring and training of individuals in the field of energy research and develop ment.
Methodology This study used a mail survey and telephone follow-up technique to derive information on the new and emerging occupations in energy research and develop ment, and the stock and flow of engineers, scientists and technicians in energy research and developmentl. The survey was restricted to ninety-nine industrial organizations involved in scientific and technological research and development in the geographic region of the Houston-Gulf Coast area of Texasa. This region consisted of eight counties: Brazoria, Chambers, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Wailer. The survey was mailed to the president or manager of each organization, who then distributed the questionnaire to the personnel director, or the division manager of the research and development section. The personnel director or division manager filled out one questionnaire, and, then distributed other questionnaires to and technicians involved in scientists, engineers, research and development in the organizatior?. The research design also included a telephone follow-up procedure to increase the response rate. That is, all of the organizations that had not responded to the survey were individually contacted after the initial distribution to determine the status of the questionnaire, and to provide additional information and assistance in completing the questionnaire, The final response rate was Ii per cent. This low response rate is not surprising questionnaires were distributed to all industrial tions involved in scientific and technological
since the organizaresearch
52
Long Range Planning Vol. 10
August 1977
and development, and, the nature of the questionnaire !imited the response to those organizations involved in energy research and development. This was done for two reasons-the relatively low marginal cost of mailing additional questionnaires, and, the high probable benefit to be derived by a complete survey*. Furthermore, in order to maintain confidentiality to the individual and the organization, the questionnaire contained a confidential statement which stated that data would be summarized, analyzed and published in aggregated form. Description
of‘Questionnaire
The questionnaire was composed of four major sections. The first three sections of the questionnaire consisted of forty-eight questions on the general background of engineers, scientists and technicians in energy research and development, and, descriptive information on the new and emerging occupations in energy research and development; the fourth section consisted of a detailed occupational table eliciting information on the current stock and future demand for engineers, scientists, and technicians in existing and new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. Section one was designed to collect demographic information on engineers, scientists and technicians involved in energy research and development; and provided a means to collect information on the individual’s place of birth, place of residence, marital status, sex, military service, and professional associations. The second section was developed to provide a comprehensive skills profile of the engineers, scientists, and technicians in research and development. It was composed of two parts. The first part delved into the education and training of the individuals, and, elicited information on the individual’s level of educational achievement, type of degree, year degree awarded, major field of study, subject matter taken beyond the high school level, and other formal training. In part two, information was gathered on the individual’s past and present employment and mobility. In this part the individuals were asked to respond to a battery of questions on job satisfaction, job search, time allocation, commuting distance, supervisory responsibility, and career motivation and development. This information
was used to build a skills profile of individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. In gathering information on the individual’s employment and kind of work, the respondents were classified into eleven general occupational categories and seventy-five specific occupational titles. The general categories were: Engineers; Comand Statisticians; puter Specialists; Mathematicians Physical Scientists; Biological Scientists; Social Scientists ; Health Occupations ; Technicians and Technologists; Teachers; Administrators, Managers, and Officials; and all other occupations. Section three of the questionnaire was designed to determine whether or not new and emerging occupations will arise in the field of energy research and development, and, to identify new and emerging occupations in energy research and development by job title and description, the sources of supply for these new and emerging occupations, and the educational, occupational and attitudinal skills needed for these occupations. This section also provided the basis for determining a supply function for the new and emerging occupations in energy research and development and whether or not manpower training programs, professional or technical continuing education would be beneficial in training for these new and emerging occupations. Section four provided estimates of the current stock of and the short and long-run demand for engineers, scientists and technicians working in energy research and development in the Houston-Gulf Coast area, and, to provide short- and long-run estimates of the industrial demand for individuals in new and emerging occupations in energy research and developmentJ. This survey yielded a very rich data base for analyzing the new and emerging occupations in energy research and development, and the stock and flow of engineers, scientists and technicians involved in energy research and development. However, to limit the scope of this paper, only the findings on the new and emerging occupations, and, the occupational characteristics that the respondents felt were needed for individuals entering these new and emerging occupations are reported.
Table 1. New and Emerging Occupations in Energy Research and Development by Occupational Categories New and Emerging Engineers Arctic Coal Gasification Coal Liquification Coal Utilization Energy Conservation Geothermal Hydrothermal Operations Research
Ocean Thermal Oil Shale Research Petroleum Reservoir Secondary Petroleum Solar Subsea Synthetic Fuels Well Log Analyst
Occupations Scientists
Coal Energy Specialist Geothermal Exploration Geologist and Geophysicist
Technicians Coal Geothermal Marine Oil Shale Solar Thermal
New Jobs in Energy Research and Development-A Research Findings
The most important finding of the survey was that the majority of the respondents (54.1 per cent) felt that new and emerging occupations were arising in energy research and development, and, through the survey, twenty-six new and emerging occupations were identified. Table 1 lists these occupations by general occupational categories. The survey indicated that there were several levels of appropriate training for individuals entering new and emerging fields of energy research and development. The appropriate level of training depended upon whether the individual being hired was an engineer, scientist or technician. In the survey, 40.5 per cent of the respondents reported that, in hiring an engineer to do energy research and development, the appropriate level of training was at the master’s level: however, about one-third (32.4 per cent) indicated that the appropriate level was a college graduate. These results are shown in Table 2. Table 2 also shows that in hiring a scientist, 51.4 per cent indicated that the appropriate level was the Ph.D. ; and, for technicians, 568 per cent indicated that the level was two years of college, an associate degree. Table 2. Appropriate Level of Academic Training for Hiring an Engineer, Scientist, or Technician for a New Position in Energy Research and Development.
Educational Level High School Two Years College Association Degree College Graduate Master’s Degree Ph.D. Other
Occupational Classification Engineers Scientists Technicians 32.4% 40.5% 8.1% 18.9%
8.1%
13.5% 18.9% 51.4% 16.2%
56.8% 21.6% 13.5%
In order to further refine the educational background needed by individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development, the survey elicited information on the most important fields of study and the appropriate level of academic
training for engineers, scientists, and technicians entering these new and emerging occupations. Table 3 shows that the respondents felt that, at the bachelor’s level, the most important fields of study for engineers entering new and emerging areas in energy research and development were mathematics, chemical petroleum refming, and engineering sciences-mechanics and physics; however, at both the master’s and Ph.D. levels, the most important fields of study was chemical petroleum refining. The survey also indicated that the second most important fields of study for engineers entering these new occupations were chemical petroleum refining and mechanical engineering. Table 3 also shows that at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the respondents felt that the most important field of study for scientists entering new and emerging fields of energy research and development was chemistry, while, physics was given as the second most important field of study at the master’s level; and, at the Ph.D. level, the survey indicated that the most important field of study was physics, while, computer systems and systems analysis was given as the second most important Geld of study. For technicians, the respondents indicated that, at the bachelor’s level, the most important fields of study were computer science and systems anaiysis, chemistry, computer programming, and mechanical technology; and, at the master’s level, chemistry was given as the most important field of study; while, at the Ph.D. level, the survey suggested that the most important field of study was engineering technology. In order to build a more complete skills inventory of individuals entering new and emerging occupations in ener,gy research and development, the respondents were asked to rank ten job-related experiences that they felt individuals needed to enter these new and emerging occupation9. In ranking these job related experiences, the respondents indicated that the most important job related e erience for engineers entering new and emerging “pields of
Table 3. Most Important Fields of Academic Study for Engineers, Emerging Occupations of Energy Research and Development
Most Important Fields of Study Chemistry Chemical Petroleum Refining Computer Programming Computer Science and Systems Analysis Engineering Science, Mechanics, and Physics Engineering Technology Mathematics Mechanical Technology Physics l
Response equally divided.
Engineers Bachelor’s Master’s
Ph.D.
E
Scientists, and Technicians Entering
Occupational Classifications Scientists Bachelor’s Master’s Ph.D. S
E’
53
Survey
Technicians Bachelor’s Master’s T’
S
New and
Ph.D.
T
E T’ T’
E’ T E’ T’ S
54
Long Range Planning Vol. 10
August 1977
Table 4. Most important, Second Most Important, and Third Most Important Job Related Experiences for Engineers, Scientists, and Technicians Entering the Field of Energy Research and Development Job Related Experiences Occupational Category
Most Important
Engineers
Design development in the energy field
Scientists Technicians
Previous energy research Jobs in operational production and previous energy research
Second Most Important
Third Most Important
Other research in related fields and jobs in operational production Other research in related fields Other research in related fields
Other research in related fields Other research not in related fields Jobs in operational production
Table 5. Occupational Skills Profile of Individuals Needed in New and Emerging and Development, by General Occupational Classification
Attributes Categories Level of Education Fields of Study Job Related Experience
Engineers Master’s Degree Chemical Petroleum Refining Research in Related Fields
Occupational Classifications Scientists Doctorate Chemistry Research in Related Fields
energy research and development was design deveiopment in the energy field; for scientists, it was previous energy research; and, for technicians, it was jobs in operational production and previous energy research. Table 4 lists the respondent’s evaluation as to the most important, second most important, and third most important job related experiences by occupational classification. Thus, the survey provided an insight into an appropriate level of education, fields of study, and general job related experience that industrial research and development organizations felt were needed for individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. Table 5 summarizes these findings. Finally, another perspective on the characteristics of individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development were obtained by comparing the types of engineers, scientists and technicians that, historically, have been the most adaptive to new and emerging areas of energy research and development. The survey revealed that when the respondents listed two types of engineers they had found to be most adaptive to new and emerging areas of energy research and development, 35.1 per cent listed chemical engineers, first; and, 241 per cent listed mechanical engineers, second. For scientists, 16.2 per cent listed chemists and physicists (astronomers), first; and, 135 per cent enumerated earth scientists, including geologists, geophysicists, etc., second. Finally, for technicians, 16.2 per cent indicated physical science technicians, first; and, 18.9 per cent listed mechanical technicians second. These results are shown in Table 6.
Occupations
in Energy Research
Technicians Two Years College Associate Degree Chemistry Jobs in Operational Production
Table 6. Most Adaptive Types of Engineers, Scientists, and Technicians to New and Emerging Areas ofEnergy Research and Development Lost AdaptiveTypes Listings 1
Engineers Chemical
2
Mechanical
of Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Scientists Technicians Chemists and physicists (astronomers) Earth scfentlsts. including geologists and geophysicists, etc.
Physical science Mechanical
Conclusion Thus, like Sputnik which tremendously accelerated the flow of funds toward scientific fields of study during the sixties and pushed millions of talented individuals into these fields, the oil embargo may be the spark that lights the flame to stimulate the rechanneling of funds toward programs which are training individuals for new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. Furthermore, maybe these individuals will find means to alleviate the short and long-run problems that society faces because of shortages of energy. Hopefully, this article has provided su&ient insights into the characteristics of individuals needed to fill these new and emerging occupations in energy research and development and should facilitate the effective and efhcient planning by industrial organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions.
References (1)
New and emerging occupations in energy research and development were defined as significant changes in the functions, duties. and responsibilities and/or activities of
New Jobs in Energy engineers, scientists, and technicians in energy research development and completely new occupations which arise from changes in technology, products, research development, organizational activities, and/or research development applications.
and may and and
(2) The addresses of these organizations, and, the names of the presidents or managers were derived from the Industrial Research Laboratories of the United States, 14th Ed&ion. Jacques Cattell Press (Ed.). New York: R. R. Bowker Co. (1975). (3)
The questionnaire was distributed to individuals ‘most qualified’ to answer the questionnaire-some attempt was made to make the second distribution a cross-sectional sample of the engineers, scientists and technicians in the firm; however, this sampling procedure was not maintained for the entire group-and, at best, the second distribution represents a ‘best informed’ convenience sample.
Research
and Development-A
Survey
(4) The survey methodology also included a pre-telephone screening of the research laboratories to determine if the organization was involved in energy research and development. However, from the response to the questionnaire, using the complete list of research laboratories as opposed to the subset determined from the pre-telephone screening proved to be worthwhile. (5)
In estimating manpower requirements, the personnel director, division manager, or person in the firm making manpower forecasts included estimates for both new jobs and replacements (deaths, retirements and normal turnover). The long-run estimates were to the year 2000.
(6) The ten job related experiences included : teaching in energy related fields, other research in and not in related fields, design development in and not in energy fields, jobs in operational production, previous energy research, designing and conducting statistical studies, professional writing in energy fields, and programming and data analysis.
Research
and Development-A
Survey
51
New Jobs in Energy Research and Development-A Survey* Donald Lawrence Davist
This article presents some of the findings of a very comprehensive survey of the scientific and technological industrial research and development organizations in the Houston Gulf Coast area. This article argues that there are new and emerging occupations in energy research and development, and, presents some of the attributes that industrial organizations felt were desirable for individuals entering these occupations. It provides a means to facilitate the short- and long-range planning of industrial organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions in the hiring and training of individuals for new and emerging occupations in energy research and development.
Introduction Since the oil embargo four years ago, there has been an accentuated awareness of the need for increasing energy research and development. However, no one had investigated the possibility that new and emerging occupations would arise in energy research and develop ment or what the characteristics of individuals who may fill these new and emerging occupations might be. Therefore, this article presents some recent findings of a survey which was conducted on the industrial research and development organizations in the Houston-Gulf Coast area on new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. The findings of this survey reveal that new and emerging occupations are developing in the field of energy research and development
‘Support funds were provided by an Energy Research Grant, Contract No. PSAG 75-1, from The Energy institute, University of Houston. The findings of this study have been published earlier in ‘An Investigation into New and Emerging Occupations for Energy Research and Development: Summary Document’, Energy Institute, October 1976, and the research report on New and Emerging Occupations in Energy Research and Development published jointly by The Center for Human Resources and The Energy Institute, forthcoming. The research team for this project consisted of Joseph E. Champagne, Susan Midtgaard. Larry Biair. Jorge Zambra, Kathleen Quinlan, Harry Gill, Chuck Foster and Al Warneke. tAssistant Director for Academic Programs, Center for Human Resources, and, Research Associate, The Energy Institute, University of Houston, Texas.
and provide insights on the characteristics of individuals who may fill these occupations. These findings should help increase the effective planning of industrial organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions involved in the hiring and training of individuals in the field of energy research and develop ment.
Methodology This study used a mail survey and telephone follow-up technique to derive information on the new and emerging occupations in energy research and develop ment, and the stock and flow of engineers, scientists and technicians in energy research and developmentl. The survey was restricted to ninety-nine industrial organizations involved in scientific and technological research and development in the geographic region of the Houston-Gulf Coast area of Texasa. This region consisted of eight counties: Brazoria, Chambers, Ft. Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Wailer. The survey was mailed to the president or manager of each organization, who then distributed the questionnaire to the personnel director, or the division manager of the research and development section. The personnel director or division manager filled out one questionnaire, and, then distributed other questionnaires to and technicians involved in scientists, engineers, research and development in the organizatior?. The research design also included a telephone follow-up procedure to increase the response rate. That is, all of the organizations that had not responded to the survey were individually contacted after the initial distribution to determine the status of the questionnaire, and to provide additional information and assistance in completing the questionnaire, The final response rate was Ii per cent. This low response rate is not surprising questionnaires were distributed to all industrial tions involved in scientific and technological
since the organizaresearch
52
Long Range Planning Vol. 10
August 1977
and development, and, the nature of the questionnaire !imited the response to those organizations involved in energy research and development. This was done for two reasons-the relatively low marginal cost of mailing additional questionnaires, and, the high probable benefit to be derived by a complete survey*. Furthermore, in order to maintain confidentiality to the individual and the organization, the questionnaire contained a confidential statement which stated that data would be summarized, analyzed and published in aggregated form. Description
of‘Questionnaire
The questionnaire was composed of four major sections. The first three sections of the questionnaire consisted of forty-eight questions on the general background of engineers, scientists and technicians in energy research and development, and, descriptive information on the new and emerging occupations in energy research and development; the fourth section consisted of a detailed occupational table eliciting information on the current stock and future demand for engineers, scientists, and technicians in existing and new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. Section one was designed to collect demographic information on engineers, scientists and technicians involved in energy research and development; and provided a means to collect information on the individual’s place of birth, place of residence, marital status, sex, military service, and professional associations. The second section was developed to provide a comprehensive skills profile of the engineers, scientists, and technicians in research and development. It was composed of two parts. The first part delved into the education and training of the individuals, and, elicited information on the individual’s level of educational achievement, type of degree, year degree awarded, major field of study, subject matter taken beyond the high school level, and other formal training. In part two, information was gathered on the individual’s past and present employment and mobility. In this part the individuals were asked to respond to a battery of questions on job satisfaction, job search, time allocation, commuting distance, supervisory responsibility, and career motivation and development. This information
was used to build a skills profile of individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. In gathering information on the individual’s employment and kind of work, the respondents were classified into eleven general occupational categories and seventy-five specific occupational titles. The general categories were: Engineers; Comand Statisticians; puter Specialists; Mathematicians Physical Scientists; Biological Scientists; Social Scientists ; Health Occupations ; Technicians and Technologists; Teachers; Administrators, Managers, and Officials; and all other occupations. Section three of the questionnaire was designed to determine whether or not new and emerging occupations will arise in the field of energy research and development, and, to identify new and emerging occupations in energy research and development by job title and description, the sources of supply for these new and emerging occupations, and the educational, occupational and attitudinal skills needed for these occupations. This section also provided the basis for determining a supply function for the new and emerging occupations in energy research and development and whether or not manpower training programs, professional or technical continuing education would be beneficial in training for these new and emerging occupations. Section four provided estimates of the current stock of and the short and long-run demand for engineers, scientists and technicians working in energy research and development in the Houston-Gulf Coast area, and, to provide short- and long-run estimates of the industrial demand for individuals in new and emerging occupations in energy research and developmentJ. This survey yielded a very rich data base for analyzing the new and emerging occupations in energy research and development, and the stock and flow of engineers, scientists and technicians involved in energy research and development. However, to limit the scope of this paper, only the findings on the new and emerging occupations, and, the occupational characteristics that the respondents felt were needed for individuals entering these new and emerging occupations are reported.
Table 1. New and Emerging Occupations in Energy Research and Development by Occupational Categories New and Emerging Engineers Arctic Coal Gasification Coal Liquification Coal Utilization Energy Conservation Geothermal Hydrothermal Operations Research
Ocean Thermal Oil Shale Research Petroleum Reservoir Secondary Petroleum Solar Subsea Synthetic Fuels Well Log Analyst
Occupations Scientists
Coal Energy Specialist Geothermal Exploration Geologist and Geophysicist
Technicians Coal Geothermal Marine Oil Shale Solar Thermal
New Jobs in Energy Research and Development-A Research Findings
The most important finding of the survey was that the majority of the respondents (54.1 per cent) felt that new and emerging occupations were arising in energy research and development, and, through the survey, twenty-six new and emerging occupations were identified. Table 1 lists these occupations by general occupational categories. The survey indicated that there were several levels of appropriate training for individuals entering new and emerging fields of energy research and development. The appropriate level of training depended upon whether the individual being hired was an engineer, scientist or technician. In the survey, 40.5 per cent of the respondents reported that, in hiring an engineer to do energy research and development, the appropriate level of training was at the master’s level: however, about one-third (32.4 per cent) indicated that the appropriate level was a college graduate. These results are shown in Table 2. Table 2 also shows that in hiring a scientist, 51.4 per cent indicated that the appropriate level was the Ph.D. ; and, for technicians, 568 per cent indicated that the level was two years of college, an associate degree. Table 2. Appropriate Level of Academic Training for Hiring an Engineer, Scientist, or Technician for a New Position in Energy Research and Development.
Educational Level High School Two Years College Association Degree College Graduate Master’s Degree Ph.D. Other
Occupational Classification Engineers Scientists Technicians 32.4% 40.5% 8.1% 18.9%
8.1%
13.5% 18.9% 51.4% 16.2%
56.8% 21.6% 13.5%
In order to further refine the educational background needed by individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development, the survey elicited information on the most important fields of study and the appropriate level of academic
training for engineers, scientists, and technicians entering these new and emerging occupations. Table 3 shows that the respondents felt that, at the bachelor’s level, the most important fields of study for engineers entering new and emerging areas in energy research and development were mathematics, chemical petroleum refming, and engineering sciences-mechanics and physics; however, at both the master’s and Ph.D. levels, the most important fields of study was chemical petroleum refining. The survey also indicated that the second most important fields of study for engineers entering these new occupations were chemical petroleum refining and mechanical engineering. Table 3 also shows that at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the respondents felt that the most important field of study for scientists entering new and emerging fields of energy research and development was chemistry, while, physics was given as the second most important field of study at the master’s level; and, at the Ph.D. level, the survey indicated that the most important field of study was physics, while, computer systems and systems analysis was given as the second most important Geld of study. For technicians, the respondents indicated that, at the bachelor’s level, the most important fields of study were computer science and systems anaiysis, chemistry, computer programming, and mechanical technology; and, at the master’s level, chemistry was given as the most important field of study; while, at the Ph.D. level, the survey suggested that the most important field of study was engineering technology. In order to build a more complete skills inventory of individuals entering new and emerging occupations in ener,gy research and development, the respondents were asked to rank ten job-related experiences that they felt individuals needed to enter these new and emerging occupation9. In ranking these job related experiences, the respondents indicated that the most important job related e erience for engineers entering new and emerging “pields of
Table 3. Most Important Fields of Academic Study for Engineers, Emerging Occupations of Energy Research and Development
Most Important Fields of Study Chemistry Chemical Petroleum Refining Computer Programming Computer Science and Systems Analysis Engineering Science, Mechanics, and Physics Engineering Technology Mathematics Mechanical Technology Physics l
Response equally divided.
Engineers Bachelor’s Master’s
Ph.D.
E
Scientists, and Technicians Entering
Occupational Classifications Scientists Bachelor’s Master’s Ph.D. S
E’
53
Survey
Technicians Bachelor’s Master’s T’
S
New and
Ph.D.
T
E T’ T’
E’ T E’ T’ S
54
Long Range Planning Vol. 10
August 1977
Table 4. Most important, Second Most Important, and Third Most Important Job Related Experiences for Engineers, Scientists, and Technicians Entering the Field of Energy Research and Development Job Related Experiences Occupational Category
Most Important
Engineers
Design development in the energy field
Scientists Technicians
Previous energy research Jobs in operational production and previous energy research
Second Most Important
Third Most Important
Other research in related fields and jobs in operational production Other research in related fields Other research in related fields
Other research in related fields Other research not in related fields Jobs in operational production
Table 5. Occupational Skills Profile of Individuals Needed in New and Emerging and Development, by General Occupational Classification
Attributes Categories Level of Education Fields of Study Job Related Experience
Engineers Master’s Degree Chemical Petroleum Refining Research in Related Fields
Occupational Classifications Scientists Doctorate Chemistry Research in Related Fields
energy research and development was design deveiopment in the energy field; for scientists, it was previous energy research; and, for technicians, it was jobs in operational production and previous energy research. Table 4 lists the respondent’s evaluation as to the most important, second most important, and third most important job related experiences by occupational classification. Thus, the survey provided an insight into an appropriate level of education, fields of study, and general job related experience that industrial research and development organizations felt were needed for individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. Table 5 summarizes these findings. Finally, another perspective on the characteristics of individuals entering new and emerging occupations in energy research and development were obtained by comparing the types of engineers, scientists and technicians that, historically, have been the most adaptive to new and emerging areas of energy research and development. The survey revealed that when the respondents listed two types of engineers they had found to be most adaptive to new and emerging areas of energy research and development, 35.1 per cent listed chemical engineers, first; and, 241 per cent listed mechanical engineers, second. For scientists, 16.2 per cent listed chemists and physicists (astronomers), first; and, 135 per cent enumerated earth scientists, including geologists, geophysicists, etc., second. Finally, for technicians, 16.2 per cent indicated physical science technicians, first; and, 18.9 per cent listed mechanical technicians second. These results are shown in Table 6.
Occupations
in Energy Research
Technicians Two Years College Associate Degree Chemistry Jobs in Operational Production
Table 6. Most Adaptive Types of Engineers, Scientists, and Technicians to New and Emerging Areas ofEnergy Research and Development Lost AdaptiveTypes Listings 1
Engineers Chemical
2
Mechanical
of Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Scientists Technicians Chemists and physicists (astronomers) Earth scfentlsts. including geologists and geophysicists, etc.
Physical science Mechanical
Conclusion Thus, like Sputnik which tremendously accelerated the flow of funds toward scientific fields of study during the sixties and pushed millions of talented individuals into these fields, the oil embargo may be the spark that lights the flame to stimulate the rechanneling of funds toward programs which are training individuals for new and emerging occupations in energy research and development. Furthermore, maybe these individuals will find means to alleviate the short and long-run problems that society faces because of shortages of energy. Hopefully, this article has provided su&ient insights into the characteristics of individuals needed to fill these new and emerging occupations in energy research and development and should facilitate the effective and efhcient planning by industrial organizations, governmental agencies, and educational institutions.
References (1)
New and emerging occupations in energy research and development were defined as significant changes in the functions, duties. and responsibilities and/or activities of
New Jobs in Energy engineers, scientists, and technicians in energy research development and completely new occupations which arise from changes in technology, products, research development, organizational activities, and/or research development applications.
and may and and
(2) The addresses of these organizations, and, the names of the presidents or managers were derived from the Industrial Research Laboratories of the United States, 14th Ed&ion. Jacques Cattell Press (Ed.). New York: R. R. Bowker Co. (1975). (3)
The questionnaire was distributed to individuals ‘most qualified’ to answer the questionnaire-some attempt was made to make the second distribution a cross-sectional sample of the engineers, scientists and technicians in the firm; however, this sampling procedure was not maintained for the entire group-and, at best, the second distribution represents a ‘best informed’ convenience sample.
Research
and Development-A
Survey
(4) The survey methodology also included a pre-telephone screening of the research laboratories to determine if the organization was involved in energy research and development. However, from the response to the questionnaire, using the complete list of research laboratories as opposed to the subset determined from the pre-telephone screening proved to be worthwhile. (5)
In estimating manpower requirements, the personnel director, division manager, or person in the firm making manpower forecasts included estimates for both new jobs and replacements (deaths, retirements and normal turnover). The long-run estimates were to the year 2000.
(6) The ten job related experiences included : teaching in energy related fields, other research in and not in related fields, design development in and not in energy fields, jobs in operational production, previous energy research, designing and conducting statistical studies, professional writing in energy fields, and programming and data analysis.