Omid Shakeri said Tuesday, at a meeting of the strategic council for the fifth Olympiad that the event can inspire students to pursue engineering disciplines.

He noted that two to three weeks ago, during a meeting between the Cabinet and the Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed the need to use advanced technologies in oil and gas production and to tap the potential of young talent. In response, the oil minister has set up a special task force to follow up on the issue.

“Although innovation and technology have always been part of the oil industry’s agenda, today we are pursuing them with greater focus and planning to achieve more tangible results,” Shakeri said. “One of the approved initiatives is this Olympiad, which can both respond to the Supreme Leader’s demand and harness the country’s scientific capacity.”

Need to boost appeal

Shakeri pointed to declining interest among applicants in petroleum engineering. Reports show fewer math-track high school students want to enter the field, he said. Events like the Olympiad can motivate students and highlight the appeal of petroleum and related engineering disciplines.

He added that even students who choose engineering today are less willing to join the industry because of legal restrictions and salary caps, conditions that did not exist in the past.

The deputy minister stressed the need to expand talent recruitment across the oil sector. “The oil family is much larger than just the Oil Ministry, with many opportunities to employ talent,” he said. “Although there are limits on formal hiring within the ministry, we are working with different parts of the industry to create avenues for young experts to contribute.”

Shakeri thanked academics and researchers for their cooperation and expressed hope that, with their help, the ministry can both respond to the Leader’s call and pave the way for youth innovation, delivering tangible advances in oil and gas technologies.