Students Gain Valuable Hands-On Experience Thanks to $2.4 Million Software Donation From Energy Navigator

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Jan. 13, 2016) - Students at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's McPhail School of Energy (SAIT) will have a leg up in the job market after graduation thanks to a donation of $2.4 million worth of software from Calgary-based Energy Navigator Inc. The donation of licenses and training for Value Navigator (Val Nav®) forecasting, economics and reserves software, and AFE Navigator (AFE Nav®) capital tracking and cost control software will benefit well over 350 students in SAIT's Petroleum Engineering Technology and Energy Asset Management Programs.

"SAIT's mandate is applied education and that means providing students with a practical education," said Energy Navigator President and CEO Boyd Russell. "Energy Navigator is honored to be able to assist with that mandate. Especially now, when our industry is under such pressure, it's important for students to learn with the latest technology and gain the hands-on experience they will need to thrive in the workplace."

Alan Jack, Academic Chair of Petroleum Engineering Technology stated that both software suites have been closely integrated into the school's curriculum. "For example," Mr. Jack explained, "we designed our Project Economics Management course around Val Nav. The software lends itself well to a teaching situation because the flow of Val Nav fits perfectly into real-world workflows and project creation. In the Project Economics course, students work through all the steps of an entire project from buying land to drilling a well, completing it, bringing it into production and running their economics in Val Nav. In Reservoir Engineering, students use Val Nav to study decline analysis. The software helps students to link engineering theory to practical situations."

In preparing curriculum, SAIT's academic leadership decided early on to adopt Val Nav as the primary software they use in the economics and decline space. AFE Nav was a logical complement. "We chose Energy Navigator's software because it is relevant to our students' needs as they enter the workforce, and because it is very intuitive and therefore easier for students to learn and use effectively," said Mr. Jack. "With some of the programs I used while working in the industry, you almost need to be a programmer to operate them successfully. About 60 per cent of students' time is in class and 40 per cent in labs. We were able to entirely create our labs around Val Nav."

About Energy Navigator

Energy Navigator's software is used by over 400 E&P companies worldwide. Value Navigator® delivers unprecedented speed and accuracy in oil and gas forecasting, economic evaluations and reserves management. AFE Navigator® is a secure, electronic AFE system that works on any web-enabled device to optimize your AFE workflow and control capital. The company has headquarters in Calgary, with offices in Houston and Denver.