Page 47 - Danish Offshore Industry 2015

LACK OF GEO-TECHNICIANS IS A PARADOX Geo-technicians are an attractive commodity. Demand is steadily growing, but less and less students graduate. That is annoying to the Danish company, GEO, so they are training their own geo-technicians. Geo-technicians rank high on the wishing list of many engineering companies, and that goes for Danish GEO, too. That is why it is a paradox to the company that so few are trained. Young people are guaranteed a job if they train in soil-mechanics as there are lots of jobs just lying in wait for them. Head of GEO’s laboratory and for- mer external lecturer at Denmark’s Technical University (DTU), Helle Foged Christensen, explains: “It is deplorable that so few students are taking a degree in soil-mechanics when so many companies are yearning for them. Within the next few years Denmark, and Europe in general, shall see an increasing demand for skilled geo-technicians. The shortage is really a para- dox.” According to the Head of the laboratory the reason for the shortage is multiple. One of the reasons being that the universities are lacking professors teaching just this special subject. She considers it most important that the universities are able to provide an attractive, profes- sional atmosphere if youngsters of today are to select Helle Foged Christensen from Geo soil-mechanics for their career. wants more geo-technicians. “Here at GEO we address the problem by actively ▲ KEY FIGURES MIO. DKK 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 TURN-OVER 198.6 282.2 260.0 286.2 333.6 RESULT BEFORE TAX 8.4 22.8 15.0 15.6 24.8 OWN CAPITAL 85.6 102.6 113.5 125.2 144.5 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 194 184 198 209 221 47 / LACK OF GEO-TECHNICIANSIS A PARADOX