Engineers
Engineers have a critical role in helping the energy industry to efficiently produce energy, protect the environment and reach its low-carbon goals. There are many, varied opportunities for engineers across Canada’s energy industry. Engineers create and use technological advancements that contribute to cleaner fuels, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction. There is an ongoing need for engineers in the energy industry where sustainability and environmental protection are so important.
This career might be a fit for you if you like to apply data and reasoning to solve problems. You probably also have an interest in math and science. Working in teams with others is also important. Types of engineers that are needed in the energy industry include: chemical, electrical, mechanical, petroleum, geological and civil, plus others. Once engineers have experience in a specialized area, they can work in a variety of sectors. Your skills as an engineer can help you to transfer from one energy sector to another.
Established Energy Sectors:
- Oil and Gas
- Offshore Oil and Gas
- Oil Sands
- Energy Services
- Pipelines
- Refining
Emerging Energy Sectors:
- Biofuels
- Hydrogen
- Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
What Engineers Do
Key Skills and Abilities Engineers Need
This chart shows the skills, abilities, and certifications needed as engineers enter and advance their career in the energy industry. Each occupation, job level, and responsibility will require a different mix of these skills and abilities.
Personal Attributes
- Active Learning
- Adaptability
- Analytical Thinking
- Attention to Detail
- Collaboration
- Innovativeness
- Leadership
- Stress Tolerance
Core Knowledge
- Develop discipline-specific knowledge such as: mechanical and plumbing; buildings and facilities; electrical and electronics; and resource and chemical processing
- Specialized digital tools for business and data analysis; computer-aided design; process engineering; industrial controls; project management; mapping; and others
- Project and program management
- Business planning, financial analysis and operations management
- Strategies for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability
- How to design, manage and maintain facilities
- How to use quality management systems
- Management of health and safety procedures
Technical Skills
- Use research and analyses to develop economical ways to create safer methods of production and improve resource conservation
- Use statistics and analytical software for decision-making
- Evaluate equipment failures and major equipment changes
- Develop and/or implement risk review processes to evaluate safety, hazards, and reliable performance
- Understand regulatory requirements for industrial equipment and facilities
Beneficial Certifications
- Driver’s Licence plus a clean abstract
- First Aid
- H2S Alive
- Fall Protection
- Confined Space Entry
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
- Aerial Lift
- Equipment Isolation
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
Engineering Careers in the Energy Industry
There are different types of education requirements for the engineering career. Entry to an engineering career in energy can start with relevant education, or education combined with related job experience. The chart shows how roles and educational requirements change for each career level. As you advance your career, your education and experience can help you to move across the various sectors in the energy industry.
Career Level
Education Levels & Areas of Study
Minimum education and/or experience typically required:
Completion of a 4-year University Degree in an Engineering Discipline
Visit engineerscanada.ca for more information.
Engineer-in-Training (EIT)
- EITs are required to work under a professional engineer for a minimum of 1 to 2 years before they can become a professional engineer
Entry-Level Engineer
- Skills required include: internship or entry-level position to get on-the-job training, learning to work autonomously, take direction, and develop technical skills
Junior Engineer
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association requires 3 to 4 years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing an exam
Minimum education and/or experience typically required:
Completion of a 4-year University Degree in an Engineering Discipline
Visit engineerscanada.ca for more information.
Intermediate Engineer
- Work experience to develop the technical and personal skills needed to adapt to a variety of situations and work settings.
Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) licence
Minimum education and/or experience typically required:
Completion of a 4-year University Degree in an Engineering Discipline
Visit engineerscanada.ca for more information.
Senior Engineer
- Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) licence
Senior Engineer with Specialization
Skills required include: specialization based on interests and technical and personal skills developed through experience.
Common specializations include:
- Product, projects, and processes
- Business and sales
- Management
- Individual contributor
Types of Careers
- Engineer-in-Training (EIT)
- Entry-Level Engineer
- Junior Engineer
- Intermediate Engineer
- Senior Engineer
- Senior Engineer with Specialization
Career Level
Entry
Education Levels & Areas of Study
Minimum education and/or experience typically required:
Completion of a 4-year University Degree in an Engineering Discipline
Visit engineerscanada.ca for more information.
Engineer-in-Training (EIT)
- EITs are required to work under a professional engineer for a minimum of 1 to 2 years before they can become a professional engineer
Entry-Level Engineer
- Skills required include: internship or entry-level position to get on-the-job training, learning to work autonomously, take direction, and develop technical skills
Junior Engineer
- Licensing by a provincial or territorial association requires 3 to 4 years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing an exam
Types of Careers
- Engineer-in-Training (EIT)
- Entry-Level Engineer
- Junior Engineer
Mid
Education Levels & Areas of Study
Minimum education and/or experience typically required:
Completion of a 4-year University Degree in an Engineering Discipline
Visit engineerscanada.ca for more information.
Intermediate Engineer
- Work experience to develop the technical and personal skills needed to adapt to a variety of situations and work settings.
Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) licence
Types of Careers
- Intermediate Engineer
Senior Engineer
Education Levels & Areas of Study
Minimum education and/or experience typically required:
Completion of a 4-year University Degree in an Engineering Discipline
Visit engineerscanada.ca for more information.
Senior Engineer
- Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) licence
Senior Engineer with Specialization
Skills required include: specialization based on interests and technical and personal skills developed through experience.
Common specializations include:
- Product, projects, and processes
- Business and sales
- Management
- Individual contributor
Types of Careers
- Senior Engineer
- Senior Engineer with Specialization
Transferring Engineering Skills from One Energy Sector to Another
There are core skills and knowledge that all engineers need for their careers. These building blocks apply across all energy sectors and for all specializations. The building blocks are:
- Knowledge of science, technologies and operational processes
- Knowledge of industrial hazards, and risk management and responses
- Safety programs and certifications for industrial operations
- Understanding compliance issues and regulations for the sector
- Company Sustainability Goals and ESG Risk Management.
The following interactive tool presents the core skills and knowledge engineers need as building blocks. It will also identify evolving skills needed to address the needs in each energy sector. Each energy sector uses the building blocks in different ways.
New entrants to an engineering career can use the tool to understand the building block skills needed to work in sectors across the energy industry. Experienced engineers can use the tool to explore how each building block is applied across the energy sectors.
How to use the Tool
- Click on a building block
- Click on a sector
- Read about how that skill can be used in a specific sector
Choose a building block
-
Knowledge of Science, Technologies and Operational Processes
-
Knowledge of Industrial Hazards, and Risk Management and Responses
-
Safety Programs and Certifications for Industrial Operations
-
Compliance Issues and Regulations for the Sector
-
Company Sustainability Goals and ESG Risk Management
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Experience with exploration, production, and field operations and processing facilities
Well design and planning
Reservoir modelling and engineering
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with production facilities, vessels, and offshore exploration and operations
Well design and planning
Reservoir modelling and engineering
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Bitumen mining and in-situ extraction
- Well design and planning
- Reservoir modelling and engineering
- Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil recovery technology for use in the oil sands
- Upgrading processes and facilities
- Remediation and reclamation
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Seismic data collection and interpretation (geomatics)
- Drilling, testing, completing, maintaining, and reclaiming service lines
Applying expertise and skills to emerging technologies and energy sources such as: geothermal, carbon capture and storage, and methane emissions reduction
Experience with:
- Pipelines (of all types) and storage facilities
Pipeline design, operations, and integrity
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Production processes using electrolysis technologies, electrochemical and thermochemical reactions and carbon capture and storage (CCS)
- Underground storage
- Compressing, liquifying, and blending of hydrogen for truck and pipeline transportation
- Working with fuel cells
Knowledge of the properties, behaviour, and handling of hydrogen
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Drilling and completion for CO2injection wells
- Capture, separation, purification, liquefication, steam generation and transmission of carbon
- Storage of CO2 , evaluation and monitoring of CO2 storage sites
Properties and behaviour of carbon/CO2
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Natural gas liquefication and LNG storage, transportation, and re-gasification processes
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Oil refining processes for creating end uses and products
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Refining, petrochemical processing, and carbon capture technologies
- Feedstock production, handling, and processing
- Storage and transportation of feedstock to refinery (by pipeline, tanker, rail, etc.)
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Experience with exploration, production, and field operations and processing facilities
Well design and planning
Reservoir modelling and engineering
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with production facilities, vessels, and offshore exploration and operations
Well design and planning
Reservoir modelling and engineering
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Bitumen mining and in-situ extraction
- Well design and planning
- Reservoir modelling and engineering
- Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil recovery technology for use in the oil sands
- Upgrading processes and facilities
- Remediation and reclamation
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Seismic data collection and interpretation (geomatics)
- Drilling, testing, completing, maintaining, and reclaiming service lines
Applying expertise and skills to emerging technologies and energy sources such as: geothermal, carbon capture and storage, and methane emissions reduction
Experience with:
- Pipelines (of all types) and storage facilities
Pipeline design, operations, and integrity
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Production processes using electrolysis technologies, electrochemical and thermochemical reactions and carbon capture and storage (CCS)
- Underground storage
- Compressing, liquifying, and blending of hydrogen for truck and pipeline transportation
- Working with fuel cells
Knowledge of the properties, behaviour, and handling of hydrogen
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Drilling and completion for CO2injection wells
- Capture, separation, purification, liquefication, steam generation and transmission of carbon
- Storage of CO2 , evaluation and monitoring of CO2 storage sites
Properties and behaviour of carbon/CO2
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Natural gas liquefication and LNG storage, transportation, and re-gasification processes
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Oil refining processes for creating end uses and products
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Experience with:
- Refining, petrochemical processing, and carbon capture technologies
- Feedstock production, handling, and processing
- Storage and transportation of feedstock to refinery (by pipeline, tanker, rail, etc.)
Production optimization measures including:
- Understanding and interpreting fluid flow and pressures
- Addressing mechanical equipment problems and issues
- Completing predictive maintenance and troubleshooting
Physics, thermodynamics and statistics
Emissions detection, reduction, and monitoring
Efficiency technologies and management of assets to reduce energy consumption
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks for the sector such as chemical, equipment, and materials handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as working in a marine environment and handling equipment and materials in varied weather conditions
Solving, controlling, and preventing risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as working around steam at high pressure and equipment and materials handling in varied weather and ground conditions
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as transporting and handling materials, equipment, and chemicals in varied weather and ground conditions
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of pipeline operational risks for the worksite and its materials and equipment
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks including the properties, behaviour, and handling of hydrogen gas and liquids, and materials and equipment
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks for the sector such as CO2, and equipment and materials handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as feedstock, and materials and equipment handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks, such as feedstock, and materials and equipment handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks for the sector such as feedstock, and materials and equipment handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks for the sector such as chemical, equipment, and materials handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as working in a marine environment and handling equipment and materials in varied weather conditions
Solving, controlling, and preventing risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as working around steam at high pressure and equipment and materials handling in varied weather and ground conditions
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as transporting and handling materials, equipment, and chemicals in varied weather and ground conditions
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of pipeline operational risks for the worksite and its materials and equipment
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks including the properties, behaviour, and handling of hydrogen gas and liquids, and materials and equipment
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks for the sector such as CO2, and equipment and materials handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks such as feedstock, and materials and equipment handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks, such as feedstock, and materials and equipment handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Identification of industrial hazards
Ongoing assessment of risks for the sector such as feedstock, and materials and equipment handling
Solving, controlling, and preventing those risks
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Basic survival
- H2S Alive
- Helicopter/vessel safety
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- Advanced hydrogen safety
- H2S Alive
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- Potential hazards working with CO2
- H2S Alive
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Canadian Marine Certificate of Competency
- Small vessel operator proficiency
- Radio license
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Basic survival
- H2S Alive
- Helicopter/vessel safety
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- Advanced hydrogen safety
- H2S Alive
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- Potential hazards working with CO2
- H2S Alive
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations, including:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Canadian Marine Certificate of Competency
- Small vessel operator proficiency
- Radio license
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Working with fluids under pressure and flammable fluids
Construction and industrial safety for work sites in all sectors with some specializations:
- Pipeline construction safety
- H2S Alive
- Oil spill response
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Regulations, compliance and reporting and their impact to operations in the sector
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Regulations, compliance and reporting and their impact to operations in the sector
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Sustainability and ESG risk issues and their impact to day-to-day responsibilities and processes
Browse energy sectors
Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors
Sustainability and ESG risk issues and their impact to day-to-day responsibilities and processes
