In a bid to explore innovative models for cultivating high-level talent tailored to the strategic needs of enterprises and to further elevate the university-enterprise partnership, a delegation from China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) visited CDUT from November 20 to November 22, 2024. The delegation was led by Tao Weixiang, Vice President and Chief Geologist, and included key experts such as Cheng Tao, Deputy Director of the Overseas Technical Support Center and Director of the Exploration Technology Research Institute; Gu Li, Chief Engineer of Development Geology at the Overseas Technical Support Center; and Pi Jian, Chief Engineer of Reservoir Development at the Overseas Technical Support Center. During the visit, the delegation engaged in meaningful inter-institutional cooperation exchanges and conducted the centralized interviews for CDUT’s 2024 “CNOOC Global Strategic Master’s Program.”
Exchange seminar
On the afternoon of November 21, a university-enterprise exchange seminar was held in the 9A202 conference room at CDUT. Zeng Ying, a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of CDUT, attended the seminar. Key officials from the Graduate Affairs Department of CDUT’s Party Committee and Graduate School also participated in the discussions. During the meeting, both parties engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as enhancing talent development and employment cooperation.
Zeng Ying delivering a speech
Zeng extended a warm welcome to the CNOOC delegation and expressed gratitude for its long-term support of CDUT’s graduate education and employment initiatives. She also provided an overview of CDUT’s technological innovation and industry-academia-research collaboration. Reflecting on the history of the partnership between CDUT and CNOOC, she highlighted the successful outcomes of their joint graduate training efforts and looked forward to further strengthening university-enterprise cooperation. She emphasized that CDUT’s ongoing collaboration with CNOOC, focused on cultivating high-level talent for the energy sector, exemplifies the core principles of “complementary strengths, resource sharing, joint training, and mutual benefit.” Moving forward, CDUT will continue its order-based training model, further develop the “CNOOC Global Strategic Master’s Program,” and produce more highly skilled and well-rounded professionals in the field of oil and gas exploration and development, united in the pursuit of the shared vision of “university-enterprise cooperation for mutual empowerment and a new chapter of win-win collaboration.”
Tao Weixiang delivering a speech
Tao Weixiang provided an overview of CNOOC’s international strategy, talent development initiatives, and employee benefits, outlining CNOOC’s standards and expectations for talent selection, which emphasize professional expertise, language proficiency, and a global outlook. He noted that CNOOC currently manages over 40 oil and gas projects in more than 20 countries and is committed to the goal of establishing an “overseas Daqing.” To support its rapidly expanding overseas operations, CNOOC requires highly skilled, interdisciplinary, and internationally-minded talent. This is considered one of the key factors in CNOOC’s efforts to build a world-class overseas business and achieve high-quality development.
Both parties also engaged in an in-depth discussion on future cooperation, including further strengthening university-enterprise partnerships, as well as leveraging alumni networks and recommendation systems to identify and cultivate more exceptional talent. CDUT will continue to optimize its talent development programs in alignment with CNOOC’s overseas strategic needs, with a focus on enhancing graduate-level skills. The “CNOOC Global Strategic Master’s Program” will be positioned as a model and key highlight, with CDUT committed to continually improving the quality of graduate talent development.
During the interviews
From November 20 to November 22, CNOOC held centralized interviews for the “CNOOC Global Strategic Maste’s Program” in the Smart Classroom 9B405 of the Ninth Teaching Building at CDUT. The interviews were divided into two groups—Development and Exploration—and were primarily focused on selecting master’s students from CDUT’s programs in Geology, Geological Resources and Engineering, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering. Participants selected for the “CNOOC Global Strategic Master’s Program” will undergo a specialized order-based training, which combines targeted coursework with practical, hands-on development. Upon passing assessments and completing the program, graduates will be directly employed by CNOOC. After individual applications, faculty recommendations, school screening, and final confirmation by CNOOC, 30 master’s students participated in the centralized interviews.
Background of the “CNOOC Global Strategic Master’s Program”:
In March 2023, CDUT signed a Joint Graduate Training Cooperation Agreement with CNOOC International Energy Services (Beijing) Ltd. Under the agreement, starting in 2023, CNOOC will select approximately 10 outstanding senior graduate students from CDUT’s Geology, Geological Resources and Geological Engineering, Oil and Gas Engineering, Geophysics, and other related programs to form the “CNOOC Global Strategic Master’s Program.” The goal of this initiative is to provide order-based training for high-level, internationally-oriented, and interdisciplinary professionals in the petroleum sector. By June 2024, five students from the 2021 cohort had successfully completed the program and were employed by CNOOC.
