Evaluation of the effectiveness of the modular system of training and certification of engineering staff of oil and gas production

Abstract

The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of a modular system for training and certification of engineering personnel in oil and gas production in comparison with the traditional course-based model, with an emphasis on time, quality, economic, and production indicators. The empirical base is formed from data from 2020-2023 on three production enterprises and two service companies in Western Siberia; the sample included 458 engineers with 3-15 years of experience, distributed by stratified random sampling into experimental and control groups of 229 people each. The methodology included a comparative analysis of training duration and costs, competency dynamics on a 100-point scale, calculation of return on investment, as well as correlation regression analysis of the relationship between training format and KPIs (plan fulfillment, technical readiness coefficient, incident frequency); statistical processing was performed in SPSS Statistics 26.0 (ANOVA, p 0.001; correlations, p 0.01). The results showed that the modular system reduces the average time to master one competency by 30,21% (from 38,4 to 26,8 academic hours), the total training duration by 29,53% (from 44,7 to 31,5 working days), and the time to certification by 37.36% (from 62.1 to 38.9 calendar days). With comparable initial competency levels, growth in the experimental group amounted to 81,7 points after 6 months and 86,2 after 12 months compared to 72,8 and 75,4 in the control group; the average monthly growth rate reached 2.11 p.p. versus 1.18 p.p. The economic effect was expressed in a reduction of direct costs per engineer to 112,3 thousand rubles (compared to 145,7 thousand rubles) and an increase in ROI to 182,6% (compared to 65,2%), as well as a greater reduction in losses from technological disruptions (11,8% versus 4,1%). Strong correlations were found between modular training and plan fulfillment (+0,791), technical readiness coefficient (+0,688), and reduction in incidents (-0,714), indicating a stable translation of the educational effect into operational results. The conclusion is made on the expediency of scaling the modular approach as a tool of strategic human capital management, with prospects for integration with adaptive digital platforms and AI.