For years, the fastest route into Guyana’s oil industry appeared to lead offshore.
Today, another pathway is emerging.
As ExxonMobil Guyana and major contractors, including SBM Offshore, Halliburton, SLB, and Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI), expand the use of artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced digital systems, more offshore jobs now involve monitoring and managing operations from computer workstations instead of rigs and production decks.
The changing nature of the industry is opening new opportunities for Guyanese with backgrounds in technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. These roles include:
- Data analysts and data managers – Collect, organize, and interpret data from exploration, drilling, and production activities to help engineers and geoscientists improve drilling decisions and monitor field performance.
- Software developers and digital systems specialists – Build and maintain the digital platforms used to monitor production, manage workflows, connect offshore facilities with onshore teams, and track equipment performance.
- Cybersecurity specialists – Protect offshore operational systems and company data from cyber threats as digital technologies become more widely used.
- Automation engineers – Design and maintain automated control systems, sensors, and equipment that improve reliability, reduce downtime, and increase production efficiency.
- Remote operations specialists – Monitor production data and equipment performance from onshore control rooms, providing technical support to offshore facilities in real time.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists – Use satellite imagery, digital mapping, and spatial data to support offshore planning, infrastructure development, environmental monitoring, and logistics.
- Predictive maintenance specialists – Analyze sensor data to identify equipment issues before failures occur, helping operators reduce downtime and improve operational reliability.
Data from the Local Content Secretariat shows that 33% of Guyanese employed in the oil and gas sector hold professional roles, while 18% are in technical positions.
Recognizing the growing role of technology in the energy industry, ExxonMobil Guyana, through the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI), is helping the University of Guyana build a long-term pipeline of talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In a July 10 exclusive interview, Professor and former Vice Chancellor Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martin told OilNOW that the strategy aims to identify talent early, align university programs with industry needs, and create pathways that move students from the classroom into technical and leadership roles.
“We [University of Guyana] treat GGI and Exxon’s extensive support not as a set of standalone projects but as one continuous pipeline — and we are building every stage of it,” she said.
The professor went on to explain that “when students arrive, they enter programs which are now being calibrated for industry. Our curricula are frequently reviewed and updated in collaboration with sector leaders such as Exxon, CNOOC, Hess, SBM Offshore, TechnipFMC, and Puffer; industry leaders sit on our advisory boards for all programs, and employer surveys and international benchmarking keep our graduates aligned with what is required”.
ExxonMobil operates Guyana’s Stabroek Block with a 45% stake, with co-venturers Hess 30%, and CNOOC 25%. The Stabroek Block’s estimated resource base is approximately 11 billion barrels of recoverable resources.
