Virtual Reality Can Help Build America's Energy Workforce

The oil and gas industry faces a well-documented workforce challenge. As exploration, production, refining, and operational environments become more automated, remote, and technologically complex, companies are finding it harder to recruit and retain the skilled workers needed to sustain the sector.

The data highlights the urgency. McKinsey & Company estimates that over a quarter of the U.S. energy workforce – approximately 400,000 individuals – are at or near retirement age. Many of these are frontline workers with deep expertise. A 2017 study by IHS Markit, commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute, projected that 1.9 million job opportunities would open in the oil, natural gas, and petrochemical industries by 2040, with a significant portion driven by retirements. That prediction looks increasingly like reality.

While energy demand is evolving, driven by data centers, electrified transportation, and advanced manufacturing, oil and natural gas continue to be central to the nation's energy mix. The problem is not a shortage of jobs but a shortage of people ready to do them.

Rethinking How We Invest in Workers

Traditional training models are insufficient. Only a handful of universities offer petroleum engineering programs, and even fewer provide associate or certificate pathways into field roles, such as wellsite pumpers, measurement technicians, or compression specialists. Lackawanna College's School of Petroleum & Natural Gas in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, New Mexico, are rare examples.

Institutions such as Penn College of Technology and many high school CTE centers teach welding, diesel mechanics, and HVAC skills adjacent to energy but not energy-specific. Most field training still occurs on the job: Companies hire minimally qualified candidates and train them, or they recruit seasoned workers from competitors. Neither approach is scalable or sustainable.

The challenge is also one of perception. Too many students and educators see oil and gas jobs as dirty, unsafe, or outdated. In reality, modern operations are among the most technologically advanced in American manufacturing. Workers operate at the intersection of mechanical systems, environmental stewardship, and digital innovation.

As the book “Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership” notes, “Companies must reevaluate not only how they acquire and build skilled workforces but how they fundamentally invest in, relate to, and engage their employees for them to flourish and add value far into the future.” The energy industry must take this to heart.

Furthermore, as Mike Rowe, host of “Dirty Jobs,” reminded an audience at the 2024 Energy & AI Summit in Pittsburgh, “AI is not coming for the plumbers, the welders, and the people who keep the lights on. It’s coming for the coders.” If that holds, then the energy trades, which demand hands-on expertise, problem-solving, and adaptability, are among the most resilient careers we can promote.

Virtual Reality as a Workforce Development Tool

Over the past 18 months, my colleagues and I have been developing a Virtual Reality (VR) Wellsite Simulator to replicate the complexity of an upstream natural gas production site. The current simulation encompasses gas production, measurement, compression, and pipeline facilities, offering students a realistic view of how energy flows from the wellhead to the market.

In spring 2025, we piloted the system with 75 students across Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Texas. The participants included high school CTE students, dual-enrollment students, and teachers with varying levels of energy experience. The results were precise: Students gained stronger comprehension of energy concepts, greater confidence in their technical abilities, and increased interest in energy careers.

Most importantly, VR provides exposure without risk. Students can “walk” a production site, identify hazards, practice safety protocols, and explore system interconnections – all without leaving the classroom. In an industry where safety is paramount and worksites are often closed to visitors, VR offers a scalable solution.

A white paper detailing this pilot and the VR platform is now available, outlining the system, educational outcomes, and implications for workforce development.

Moving Into Phase Two

The pilot was only the beginning. We are now entering Phase Two. During this phase, we will develop additional training modules and integrate the platform into classroom instruction to reflect real-world field conditions.

For example, in VR, students can learn how to isolate and repair a Little Joe regulator. While the industry is equipping classrooms with the same regulator, enabling students to disassemble and rebuild it actively. VR ensures consistency with field training by replicating industry-standard procedures, while the classroom component guarantees hands-on practice. With industry subject-matter experts involved, the model further simulates internships or onboarding programs. It draws inspiration from the best practices of SkillsUSA, blending technical skills with real-world applications.

The goal is not to replace hands-on training but to ensure students arrive at worksites already familiar with systems, safety protocols, and responsibilities. This blended approach, combining immersive digital learning with physical apprenticeships, can accelerate readiness, reduce costs, and demonstrate the energy industry's commitment to preparing the next generation of professionals.

A National Model

The energy industry has always been at the forefront of technological innovation. It is time to bring the same spirit of innovation to workforce development. Virtual reality will not replace traditional training, but it can attract, prepare, and retain a new generation of workers who will keep America’s energy secure.

As Albert Einstein once remarked, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” By pairing imagination with innovative tools like VR and by rethinking how we invest in workers as “Essential” urges, the industry can build a resilient workforce capable of powering the nation for decades to come.