Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Apr 05/02) - Ericson Sanguez hopes the oil and gas industry can show him the world.

A graduate of Thomas Simpson school, Sanguez is thinking about enroling in a two-year oil and gas engineering program at Edmonton's Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in the fall.

He said he has found further inspiration in the form of George Sutherland, of the Petroleum Industry Training Service (PITS).

Sutherland was one of the guest speakers at an Introduction to Industry workshop in Fort Simpson last week. He owns his own company and has been to 30 countries, according to Sanguez.

"You get to travel around the world because they're always looking for manpower," he said. "I want to see the world. I want to see the different cultures and how they live. Plus you can learn something from them too."

Sanguez was one of 17 participants at a workshop sponsored by the Denendeh Development Corporation, March 24-28.

Alexander Gresl, manager of human resources and business development for the Dene-owned DDC, said he hopes it was the first of a series of workshops held across the NWT.

"We want to give people choices. We want to reflect all that's available," said Gresl, adding that forestry, eco-tourism and small business opportunities are also possibilities. "We want them to understand what else is out there."

Last week's workshop gave an overview of how the oil and gas industry operates in Canada.

Participant Bruce Johnston said he learned everything from where oil comes from to how it is refined.

Johnston, who already took a two-week safety course in Leduc, Alta., said he's willing to travel to find a position in the industry.

"I'll go anyplace myself," he said.

Fellow workshop participant Joseph Villeneuve, who also said he's not averse to finding an industry job far from home, said he learned how oil rigs function, how they are constructed and how many exist across the country.

The workshop also included sessions on how to budget effectively and how to deal with stress and tension.

"Unless you have a balance within ... it's difficult to pursue any career," Gresl said.