A world-class express MBA, but make it for energy

A world-class express MBA, but make it for energy

January 20, 2025

The Baker Hughes University turns 20 this year. Its programs - dedicated to lifelong learning in the energy industry - are educating a wider and more diverse cohort than ever.

As we move toward the energy transition to urgently address global emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, it's not only about what we do and don't do to achieve agreed targets. It is equally critical to elevate knowledge and add new skills for those working in the energy industry.

That is a fundamental goal of the Baker Hughes University(BHU), established in 2005 to support lifelong learning for leaders at Baker Hughes customers. The goal set from the start was to bring them together to create dialogue and enhance collaboration.

Over the past two decades, the university, which operates from the Baker Hughes Florence Learning Centerin Italy, has continued to adapt its offerings to ensure a cutting-edge educational experience. It also strives to reach emerging leaders in countries where there is less opportunity for formal training. To date, more than 1650 alumni from 55 countries have graduated from BHU. Around 200 faculty members deliver more than 1000 hours of training each year, across several programs.

Barbara Del Sala, Director, Baker Hughes University

Taking time out to learn is invaluable and that impact is multiplied for those who would not normally have the chance to do that. Each year, the BHU Next Leader has two 2.5-month long programs in Florence for 15-20 candidates. These places are invitation-only to Baker Hughes customers, who nominate talented junior leaders mostly aged between 25-35 years.

"It's a real immersion - it is not common to spend such a long time dedicated to learning and training while being employed full time," says Barbara Del Sala, director of the Baker Hughes University. ''Our customers agree the selected candidates will be able to dedicate themselves 100% to the program with no involvement with their jobs back home. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Knowing that what is now described as "a just energy transition" requires global knowledge and skills to rise to meet the challenge, the BHU targets the bulk of its Next Leader invitations mainly to customers from lower socio-economic countries. These early career professionals have 3-8 years of experience and many work for national oil and gas companies. Their jobs include a broad spectrum of engineering roles, HSE advisors, maintenance planners, control room operators, construction coordinators and finance or marketing experts.

"We have many candidates from Africa - Nigeria, Mozambique, Algeria, Angola to mention a few- who tell me when they arrive in Florence that it is their first time leaving their country," says Del Sala. "After the 11 weeks, they go back to their respective countries and companies also with a larger world view and a different mindset."

Students of the Baker Hughes University, during one of the classroom sessions of the program

A multicultural melting pot

Over their time living and studying in Florence, the Next Leader students are taken through four key modules: Energy Industry and Energy Transition, Technology and Digital Innovation, Leadership and Business Management and Living @ Baker Hughes, when they go offsite to visit several of the company's key facilities (a class favorite!). The content is constantly updated to align with industry drivers and trends.

"It's not only the content, but also a personal experience that changes people," says Del Sala. "The students are learning to live and work in a multicultural environment and that is key. They get real experience from spending time in manufacturing facilities and in the field that a standard university could not provide. Making this kind of training available is part of our social responsibility as an energy technology company."

BHU courses are made up of a mix of content, from Baker Hughes and external sources too. "We bring in academia professionals, energy intelligence companies, research institutes and other third parties, so students hear from different voices about current scenarios in the energy transition," says Del Sala. "We also draw in experts from across our company."

Baker Hughes subject matter experts rotate through the in-house university on top of their day jobs. In the final Next Leader program for 2024, close to 100 Baker Hughes colleagues were engaged in the program, from leading projects to classroom training.

Dr Angela Serra, Senior Emissions Technical Advisor, Baker Hughes

One was Dr Angela Serra, Senior Emissions Technical Advisor based in Florence, who was a mentor in both Next Leader programs in 2023. "It's an honor to be invited to mentor at the Baker Hughes University as a subject matter expert," says Serra. Her PhD is in Energy and Sustainable Development and earlier in her career she studied aerospace engineering.

"My area of expertise is sustainability and for me having the opportunity to work with this younger generation of customers from a multicultural background brings value for all of us," says Serra. "It's a win-win. These are the people who will build the future - we cannot achieve the energy transition without them."

Knowledge in action

Sharing deep technical knowledge and building skills to tackle the many challenges and solutions around the energy transition aligns with several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Serra adds: "As employees we are very proud of participating in the program that will help build the knowledge of young people in the energy field - this is really important for me."

Serra says that one of the added joys of working with emerging leaders from our customer teams, is that Baker Hughes subject matter experts learn from the students.

Baker Hughes University students, with Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman and CEO (centre), and Barbara Del Sala (second on right), University Director

"As an example, for one project about how an oil and gas company can approach the energy transition I provided them with reference papers and some direction, and they came back with a totally unexpected point of view," says Serra. "The group suggested that the energy transition should be regional. That there should be a classification of what each region could do for the transition, depending on their resources and access to renewable energy. Their point of view was all about collaboration. In this classroom context, we see our customers moving from being competitors to becoming partners. In this project, there was a request of collaboration from different countries, some of whom do have resources and wealth and some who do not. They brought forward a very interesting perspective, building on their own experiences. We always say diversity is so important to bring us new points of view and this was a strong demonstration of that."

In line with the SDG 4 around inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all, the BHU's percentage of women attendees climbed to 30% for the Next Leader program in 2024 and keeps on growing. Achieving this level of gender diversity is thanks to the effort Baker Hughes and the energy industry is putting into the topic of equal opportunities. Participating companies are also recognizing the value to their own operations and are also suggesting more women for the program.

Zoning in on climate tech innovation

Helping to equip the next generation of energy leaders with the knowledge and skills to tackle the challenges of the transition is not enough. In 2020 BHU added a two-week Senior Leader intensive program, targeting managers with more than 15-years industry experience, with almost 80% of the course time dedicated to innovation and sustainability.

The Senior Leader program is built around expert training for sustainable leadership. It includes one day devoted to global energy, climate challenges and opportunities, another couple of days focused on hydrogen energy, CCUS technology, and other emerging energy technologies.

In 2022, the BHU introduced the Climate Technology program for leaders who are already working on energy transition and decarbonization initiatives in their own companies. All three days of this program are dedicated 100% to innovation and sustainability. Both programs run twice each year. Like the Next Leader program, they are invitation-only.

"The Climate Tech program runs like a symposium, with panel discussions, experts presenting technical papers on specific subjects, as well as a tour of our energy transition lab facilities" says Serra.

Baker Hughes University students, visiting the Florence Manufacturing facility, Italy

In addition to visiting the innovation labs, the Next Leader program includes a session on Design Thinking. "We do this with our colleagues who oversee innovation within the technology engineering function, working with startups and incubators. Colleagues join in from the US and the UK, for simulations on how to bring Design Thinking to various challenges. It's about learning this methodology of innovation."

"We are creating a new debate platform for top leaders working in these roles, engaging with our traditional oil and gas customers and partners and those from new energy frontiers companies'' adds Del Sala.

Customers can also choose to commission the BHU to build custom expert training programs for their teams. "These courses are tailored to specific topics on request, rather than by invitation, and can be delivered everywhere in the world" explains Del Sala.

A network for the future

The alumni network that has emerged from 20 years of programs is helping foster lifelong learning among past and present course attendees. It has also built an international community among experts across the energy sector, with its own dedicated LinkedIn group.

"The learning programs at the Baker Hughes University have always supported our company's Sustainability Strategyaround people, planet and principles," says Del Sala. "As ESG initiatives have grown to be a vital part of all companies' strategies, we offer a lot of education and tools to help support leadership for environment, social and governance initiatives."

Feedback surveys from BHU attendees reinforce the belief that their efforts are making a difference, but Del Sala came across a personal proof point late in 2024. "There was a very important customer meeting going on at the Florence Learning Center, and I was walking through when one of the meeting delegates approached me and said, 'I believe you are in charge of the university now?'. Today he is very senior in his company, and he said, 'I attended the university in 2010, and I always remember it. It was a great experience."

"The relationships they build are very strong at the Baker Hughes University. When alumni come in to meet with Baker Hughes during the course of their career, they are reminded of their time at our university. It stays with them."

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