What exactly do Industrial Psychologists bring to the oil and gas boom?

 

Oil. Gas. Green hydrogen. The vocabulary powering Namibia’s development dreams. Every other headline screams exploration success, every conference boasts investment opportunities, and every project promises job creation. And to their credit, yes, the potential is massive. But here’s a not-so-loud whisper behind the headlines: What if we train too many for the jobs that will actually be offered? It is the dilemma of supply vs. demand in talent development. We’re seeing an exciting surge in scholarships and training programs, especially for technical and vocational skills. From engineering to welding, the energy sector’s wish list is shaping national education priorities. But training without a skills demand forecast is like cooking without knowing how many guests are coming. You either run out, or you waste resources. Industrial Psychologists are trained to answer the 'how many is too many?' question.

Already, across the country, thousands of talented graduates are sitting at home, scroll-clicking job portals, applying, praying, and repeating, with no response. And it’s not because they aren’t skilled. It is because we’re producing talent without aligning it to demand. Especially in technical fields funded by new oil and gas scholarships, we run the risk of creating a graduate glut: too many people trained for too few real jobs. Here is where the Industrial Psychologists enter. They’re not just about people at work; they’re about planning for what work will even exist.

What exactly can Industrial Psychologists do here?

I-O psychologists conduct skills mapping, understanding what jobs are projected. what skills are needed for each? How many people are already being trained in those areas? How many have these qualifications are collecting dust? Which supporting and adjacent roles need attention, too? I-O psychologists ensure that training providers, funding agencies, and ministries don't oversaturate one skill area while neglecting others. Preventing too many for too little scenarios. With these insights, training efforts can be spaced, focused, and future-proofed, preventing 1000 pipeline technicians from being trained when the field only needs 200. Oil and gas roles tend to be cyclical, project-dependent, and heavily tech-reliant. So, industrial psychologists help forecast long-term vs. short-term job viability, recommend skill combinations that remain relevant across sectors, and support graduates with career resilience strategies. So, a student wins a fully funded technical scholarship. Amazing. But does their degree align with actual market timelines? Will they be hired when they graduate, or added to the jobless but qualified list? Industrial psychologists can help ensure scholarships match real workforce projections, training is staggered, not flooded, and feedback systems track impact beyond the classroom. 

The skills audit is far more than just a tick-box HR exercise; a skills audit provides a clear picture of the workforce’s current capabilities, gaps, and future needs. Done right, it aligns people strategy with business strategy, and ensures organisations don’t just hire, they build sustainable talent pipelines. Namibia’s unemployment isn't just a number, it's a human crisis. We already have too many degree holders working retail to survive, talented youth forced into underemployment and families celebrating graduations, only to face years of economic stagnation. Let’s not replicate this with oil and gas. We don’t just need rigs and engineers, we need systems thinkers, workforce planners, and behavioural scientists to reduce talent waste, prevent skill oversupply and match people to purpose. That’s what industrial psychologists do best.

Let’s design a job market with the end in mind, one that actually fits the workforce we’re building.