Work shows how Petrobras contributed to the creation of the first geology courses in the country
The National Petroleum Council (CNP) and Petrobras played a decisive role in training qualified human resources for the development of the oil industry in Brazil. Petrobras contributed to the creation of the first geology courses in the country and promoted science and technology in the area. The topic was studied in the doctoral research of Drielli Peyerl, author of the recently released book “Oil in Brazil: Exploration, Technical Training and Teaching of Geosciences (1864-1968)”. The publication expands the thesis defended under the guidance of professor Silvia Figueirôa, with data from the author's post-doctoral research. The studies were financed by Fapesp.
One of the novelties of the book is to provide data from the biography of North American geologist Walter Link (1902-1982), appointed as the first director of Petrobras' Exploration Department, one of the company's main positions at the time. Link, in 1959/60, became an “enemy” of the company and, consequently, of Brazil, when he stated that oil research should be directed to the continental shelf (submerged strip of land). Brazilian oil would not be found “on land” or onshore. Decades later, the company recognized that he was right with his efforts in research offshore.
In the first chapter, the author addresses the laws, political and economic issues related to oil exploration until 1939, when the first well was found in the State of Bahia. The second chapter is dedicated to the formation of the National Petroleum Council (CNP), in 1938, which preceded Petrobras, established in 1953. Drielli emphasizes that Brazil created the CNP even before the discovery of oil. In 1952, the CNP began investing in the technical training of its own workforce. The work continued with Petrobras, which gradually absorbed the CNP's activities.
“Brazil was seen as a country that did not have oil. The search took decades, but at the same time there were no people trained to work at Petrobras. So much so that the first training courses related to oil were held within the company”, states the author.
Most of the machinery (such as probes) used in the search for oil was imported from the United States. The joint work of Brazilians and foreigners marks the entire period covered by the book. Drielli highlights the attempt by foreign companies, such as Standard Oil, to expand its business in Brazil. To develop the research, the author traveled to several countries, such as Mexico, France and the United States, in search of primary sources. One of the places visited was the Rockefeller Archive, in New York, United States.
The training of labor for oil exploration in the country had three moments, according to the author. Since the CNP, the idea would be to hire foreigners, then there was an attempt to send Brazilians to oil-producing countries, mainly the United States, for courses and absorption of knowledge. Finally, both CNP and Petrobras invested in training their own workforce.
“After Petrobras was created, there was a campaign to train geologists, based on financial resources from the federal government at universities. The first geologists with this specific title appeared in the mid-50s. Some were students from other courses who migrated to geology”, recalls professor Silvia Figueirôa. According to her, the central hypothesis of the research work was that Petrobras could also be seen as “a place of training, a school, a place of teaching at least for its own technicians”.
The professor highlights the importance of understanding how this entire development process, with investments in qualified human resources, even allowed, for example, discoveries such as the pre-salt one today. “The case of Petrobras is that of a successful institution, which took a series of correct steps with investments and policies that were successful.”
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Book: Oil in Brazil: Exploration, Technical Training and Geoscience Teaching (1864-1968)
Author: Drielli Peyerl
Publishing house: UFABC (Federal University of ABC)
pages: 278
Price: 48,90 (25% discount for teachers)
