Eni's prime objective is to value all its personnel.
Particular attention is paid to:

• recruitment and development of young people with an excellent educational background;
• the development of professional experience and skills.

Attracting talent
Eni has a network with Italian and international universities and MBA programmes.  This enables it to establish collaborative learning relationships, to take action to recruit those with relevant degrees (particularly in engineering and economics), and to scout the market for people with masters degrees qualified to assume roles with a medium or high level of responsibility.
One example is Eni's attendance at the conference held by NOVA , the Italian MBA association based in the USA, in November 2008, which enabled it to assess in detail via interviews the profiles of outstanding young people with potential which could be developed at Eni.
In detail
See also > Professional Areas, required Diplomas and Degrees
See also > Focus Engineering

The Youth Project
In 2008 initiatives were identified to develop and motivate young people, based on the following principles:

• personal knowledge (dialogue, appraisal, feedback);
• segmentation of people and differentiated management approaches;
• meritocracy and self development.

The project includes a review of appointment and development rules and instruments, redefinition of the mobility systems in which differences are properly promoted and the use of focused and consistent training and development initiatives
In detail

Skills development
For graduates, the process of evaluating potential identifies different areas of development potential, and provides everyone with focused feedback in terms of career direction and scope for individual improvement. The Development Centre methodology used to measure graduate potential focuses on a comparison with other people's perception and the possibility of seeing one's own conduct and personal characteristics in an organizational context by measuring one's own relational effectiveness.
In detail

Promoting experience and knowledge
- During 2008 Eni introduced the professional title of Knowledge Owner . This is assigned to senior managers who possess skills and knowledge acquired over a long period of time. The Knowledge Owners are expected to mentor young people, draw up proposals to develop knowledge and professional expertise and be prepared to lecture at Eni Corporate University.
In detail

Knowledge Management is another fundamental tool for maintaining and reinforcing the Company's expertise. At the end of 2008 Eni's Knowledge Management system consisted of 44 practice communities and active knowledge networks, involving 1,665 people.
In detail

Training
In 2008 there was an increase in training activities in Italy and around the world. Mention should be made in particular of the activity carried out for new projects in the Oil Exploration/Well Area (training pathways for Geology & Geophysics, Reservoir Engineer, Senior Drillers and Drilling Supervisors, Subsea Engineer) and HSE areas, as well as the launch of the Special Project 3 for AGIP KCO in the Production & Maintenance area, assigned to 330 Kazakh nationals subdivided into about 40 different technical and staff job positions.
In detail

Compensation
The purpose of the compensation system is to ensure recognition of the results achieved and the development potential of people, making sure that remuneration is consistent with market practices and standards. In particular, Eni has developed a system for classifying managerial and professional positions, in Italy and abroad, to support remuneration positioning analyses as well as management and development processes.
In detail

The first corporate culture analysis, "Eni secondo te (Your Eni)", was carried out in 2008. This involved about 38,000 Eni people throughout the world, and aimed at "taking a snapshot" of how the Company is perceived, right from the top management down to entry-level staff while assessing their level of involvement. The "Eni profile" that emerged from the corporate culture analysis is one in which the Company's people have a good level of involvement, pride and loyalty, who feel protected and safeguarded in terms of tangible issues, particularly with regard to health, safety and training, and who share a system of strong values embodied in Eni's business culture, particularly regarding Company integrity and a commitment to safeguarding the environment.
In detail

Initiatives supporting Leadership
Following up on the corporate culture analysis findings, a detailed study of the Leadership topic, already introduced in 2007 through the Feedback 360° Project, has been considered advisable. Ad hoc programmes have been designed not only for senior managers but also for middle-level managers with managerial responsibility in order to promote a relationship style within the organization that fosters an appreciation of enthusiasm and skills. The main objective of the Feedback 360° Project was to develop and promote a Leadership style based on the development of emotional and relational factors, with particular reference to the quality of internal relationships and the motivation and involvement of co-workers.
In detail

The well-being of Eni's people
During 2008, surveys and focus groups were conducted, in parallel with "Eni Secondo Te", on topics linked to welfare and the work-life balance. A study was then completed, "Diversity: structure, practices and organizational culture", which analysed three different aspects of diversity in the Company, cultural, personal and gender. All the research has allowed initiatives to be identified and designed that are focused on increasing well-being within the organization, balancing work and private life and supporting parenthood.
In detail

Internal communication initiatives
In 2009 the Cascade communication programme was also implemented throughout the entire company, with the aim of promoting an awareness of the strategies and explaining the links between the Company objectives and those of the organizational structure. In 2009 the project involved 30,940 people in 43 countries, with 484 meetings organized in 103 locations. All internal communication programmes use the intranet portal MyEni, a unified platform for sharing information, to which approximately 29,300 Eni personnel have access.

Safety
Eni devotes huge commitment and resources to protecting the safety of its people, the communities in which it operates and its production sites.
In 2008 this commitment led to a favourable performance with an improvement of almost all the safety indicators. The result is due to the dissemination of the safety culture, new methods of analysis, reducing process risks, and interventions in critical sectors (road accidents and contractor staff). The safety culture is also spread through incentive programmes and awards to encourage the adoption of good practice.
In detail

Health
Eni has continued its commitment towards guaranteeing the health of its employees as well as of the communities which live near its facilities and all those who come into contact with its operations at various stages.

Prevention management tools
In 2008 the prevention management system was implemented in all foreign countries where the Exploration & Production sector is operational. The most important initiatives include:
- the implementation of new "Occupational Medicine and Healthcare Checks" in 5 countries (Angola, Tunisia, Algeria, Kazakhstan – KPO, Libya);
- studies on the evaluation and updating of care plans and emergency health schemes in Croatia, Qatar, USA (Alaska) and Saudi Arabia;
- implementation of emergency health plans (MERP – Medical Emergency Response Plan) in Mozambique, Congo (IPP and M'Boundi), Mali and Kazakhstan (KPO).
In detail

Health promotion
Health is promoted by following two main lines of action:
- free diagnostic campaigns for individuals;
- information campaigns for healthy lifestyles.
Overall 118 initiatives were implemented in 20 countries through health awareness and training campaigns, the issue of policies on the various health prevention schemes (anti-smoking and prevention of alcohol and drug abuse) and the implementation of prevention campaigns (screening and vaccinations).
In detail

Name: Marina Canovaro Company: Eni Present job: Interface manager, Libya Age: 29 Nationality: Italian Degree: Chemical engineering, Politecnico di Milano

Energy is a very strategic sector and one that affects the lives of everyone, every day.
When considering my career options, that drew me: it's something I wanted to be part of. Also, my favourite academic subjects included areas such as thermodynamics, making oil and gas a logical choice.
I first came into contact with Eni whileat university; the company was one of the sponsors of a scholarship that I won to study at Stockholm's Royal Technical Institute.
When it came to deciding which firm to work fo, I went for Eni — in part because of its extensive international reach.A month after graduating, I started as a process engineer, working on feasibility studies for new developments.
Among other things, this involved determining the process configuration for oil and gas treatment facilities, in which newly produced oil is sta-bilised for export or gas treated to meet pipeline specifications, for example Shortly afterwards, I moved to a new role, troubleshooting operational problems. My particular focus was the Karachaganak fieldin Kazakhstan and I travelled to the country frequently.

Gas produced at Karachaganak has a high H2S content and a critical part of the project involves injecting this highly acidic, corrosive gas back into the ground.
Prior to reinjection, the gas must be processed in a dehydration plant. But the plant — one of the few of its type in the world - wasn't working properly. My team was tasked with analysing the parameters of the dehydration column, running simulation tests to identify the problem and working towards a solution.It was a very stimulating intellectual and professional challenge. It was also very satisfying - ultimately, we were successful
The next step in my career was preparing for a role in project management.
I spent a year working towards the Project Management Institute's Project Management Professional certificate, b-fore I moved, in 2007, to my present location - Libya. I'm an interface manager at one of the country's largest offshore gas developments. The work has involved considerable challenges.
Initially, my Libyan colleagues were surprised to be working with a woman engineer. They weren't used to it. But they saw that I respected their culture and that I understood that it might take some time to adjust to working with me. They also saw that the only thing I wanted was to work with them to achieve operational excellence and they have been very helpful and cooperative.The job itself I love. It's fascinating to see how each of the different disciplines - the reservoir department, drilling, facilities and so on - contributes to the project.
I see my future in project management.Working for Eni has exceeded my expectations in many ways. I would never have imagined coming to a country like Libya, which has given me the chance to work with people who have a completely different cultural background to mine. Indeed, if I could pass on some advice to someone considering a career in the sector, it would be that you have to be adaptable - to different ways of living and working - and open minded.

Name: Mario Sobacchi Company: Eni Present job: Project manager Age: 31 Nationality: Italian Degree: Degree in engineering, Politecnico di Milano; MSc in mechanical engineering, University of Illinois, Chicago

Since joining Eni - after graduating in 2002 - the job has exceeded my expectations: the variety of activities, the different locations I've worked in, the diversity of people I have teamed up with have given me a wide range of valuable professional experience.
I started in the engineering department of Eni Exploration & Production in Milan as a process engineer. I moved to a project-engi-neering position two years later, coordinating a range of engineering disciplines on var-ious upstream projects, mainly related to gas production and faring in Nigeria. Although still based in Milan, I often travelled to project sites, spending about half of my time in west Africa.
I also travelled more widely, working with several different divisions of the company across the world - in Pakistan, Indonesia, Russia and elsewhere.In 2006, I was given a managerial role in Eni's research and development (R&D) department, coordinating R&D activities relating to surface-production facilities. It was a very interesting experience - one that helped me understand the biggest techno-logical challenges facing the oil and gas industry and gave me valuable insights into the types of solutions that might work.But although there are many exciting and creative ideas out there, there's a long way to go.

The industry is having to develop resources in increasingly difficult conditions - coping with deep waters, sour fluids,remote locations and heavier oils, for example. We must extract the greatest possible value by, for example, maximising recovery factors, developing new products and reaching new markets. That's what makes R&D an essen-tial investment for a major oil company. Last year, I moved to Eni Venezuela as a project manager. My role involves identifying the best development scheme for a heavy-oil block in the Orinoco oil belt. We're setting up a joint venture with PdV, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, to develop it and I'm pro-viding technical support.
Finding the most economic ways of trans-forming the heavy oil we will be producing into marketable products requires careful co-ordination of a large number of professional functions; all components of the business chain  - from reservoir exploitation to refining technologies, and from enhanced oil-recovery technologies, to market analysis and dis-tribution to end users - must be thoroughly investigated and finely tuned The breadth and scope of this project is fascinating and careful planning is essential.
In addition to the technical issues, we must take full account of the needs of local communities around the site and strict sustainability requirements, as well as complex legal, taxation and financial constraints and difficult negotiating conditions. Being exposed to the entire value chain of the industry is a unique learning opportunity  - and one that should help me move forwards to business management and more senior positions.The oil and gas industry is complicated: it relies on teamwork.
And it depends on motivated professionals all over the world getting to know and adapting to different cultures and ways of doing things. It supports people with a can-do attitude. It's a business where people still make the difference.