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In this episode of the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast, we speak with Andri Orphanides, Director of American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Individual Certification Programs (ICP), about the growing importance of certification and competence in the downstream oil and gas industry.
Andri shares insights into how API’s certification programmes help support safer, more reliable operations, and develop the next generation of inspection professionals worldwide. We also consider how ICP continues to address some of the emerging changes and challenges facing the oil and gas sector.
This episode of the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast is sponsored by Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.
This episode of the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast is sponsored by Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.
Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine delivers world-class industry subject matter expertise, unparalleled technical and specification service, and unmatched regional commercial team support to customers around the globe, including in the energy market. The company’s broad portfolio of high-performance coatings and systems – including protective liquid and powder coatings, as well as fire protection coatings – excel at combating corrosion and help customers achieve smarter, time-tested asset protection. For more information, visit protective.sherwin.com.
Creators and Guests
What is Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast?
The Hydrocarbon Engineering podcast: a podcast series for professionals in the downstream refining, petrochemical and gas processing industries.
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast. Today we're going to talk about something that sits right at the heart of safe, reliable and efficient operations in the downstream oil and gas industry certification and competence. In particular we're focusing on the American Petroleum Institute's individual certification programs or ICP as they're also known. Now these are widely recognized credentials designed to independently verify the knowledge and experience of technical inspection personnel. So at a time when the industry is under pressure from aging infrastructure, tighter regulation and a shrinking pool of experienced talents, we thought it would be a good idea to explore the ins and outs of these certification programs in a little more detail.
Callum O'Reilly:To that end, I'm pleased to be joined by Andrey Orphanidis, Director of API's Individual Certification Programmes, who will guide us on what ICP actually involves, why it matters so much for asset integrity and safety performance, and how the programs continue to address some of the emerging changes and challenges that we are facing in our sector.
Advert:This episode of the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast is sponsored by Sherwin Williams Protective and Marine. Sherwin Williams Protective and Marine delivers world class industry subject matter expertise, unparalleled technical and specification service, and unmatched regional commercial team support to customers around the globe, including in the energy market. The company's broad portfolio of high performance coatings and systems, including protected liquid and powder coatings as well as fire protection coatings, excel at combating corrosion and help customers achieve smarter, time tested asset protection. For more information, visit protective.sherwin.com.
Callum O'Reilly:Andrew, welcome to the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast, and thanks for taking the time to join us today. For new guests on the podcast, we always like to start with a bit of an introduction. So can you tell us a little about your role at API and API's Individual Certification Programs, or ICP as they're also known?
Andri Orphanides:Yes, thank you for the question. I always like to talk about what I do here at API. I think it's really important work. I'm the Director of API's Individual Certification Programs. My primary role is to oversee the development, administration, and continuous improvement of our certification offerings.
Andri Orphanides:I work closely with industry experts to ensure our programs remain relevant and rigorous, helping professionals demonstrate their expertise and commitment to safety and quality standards. Through these efforts, we support individuals in advancing their careers, while also strengthening the industry's workforce and integrity.
Callum O'Reilly:Andrew, you mentioned then about supporting individuals, I was just wondering how ICP supports the overall industry, and what differentiates API from other industry credentials.
Andri Orphanides:I think API plays a pivotal role in supporting the broader industry by setting internationally recognized standards for professionals competency and safety, our certifications are developed in collaboration with industry leaders, ensuring they remain relevant and rigorous amidst evolving changes. What truly sets API apart is our commitment to ongoing quality improvement and our focus on both technical expertise and ethical standards. This approach not only elevates individual careers, but also drives excellence and reliability across the sector, helping companies maintain compliance and uphold best practices. API's individual certification programs are accredited by ANSI that uphold rigorous standards for certification of personnel. Our programs adhere to internationally accepted norms, ensuring that API credentials can be trusted by employers and regulatory agencies across the globe.
Andri Orphanides:This accreditation not only validates the quality and integrity of our certifications but also distinguishes API as a leader in the credentialing space for the oil and gas professionals.
Callum O'Reilly:So you have a number of different certification programs providing applicants with various ways to improve their skills. So out of the 20 certification programs that are available, which do you find are the most popular?
Andri Orphanides:So the most popular that we find with individuals coming and looking to get there once they qualify and want to get into the industry and start on their career trajectory, if you will, are probably what I call our core offerings, the API five ten for pressure vessel inspectors, API five seventy for piping inspectors, and API six fifty three for above ground storage tanks. These programs are widely recognized across the industry for their rigorous standards and focus on safety and reliability. Additionally, for those seeking specialized expertise, API five eighty for risk based inspection stands out as a key credential for professionals involved in advanced risk assessment and management. Together, these certifications not only support individual career advancement, but also strengthen operational excellence within operational excellence within organizations as well.
Callum O'Reilly:And Andrea, I was wondering what kind of changes you've seen in the inspection space over the decade that you've been working with ICP? And how do you help ensure ICP continues to address emerging changes and challenges within the industry?
Andri Orphanides:Yeah, that's something we're always focused on. It's actually, I've been here probably close to fifteen years now working in the individual certification programs. Our programs are firmly grounded in internationally recognized codes and standards. We work very closely with our standards department, and that ensures that our certified professionals are equipped to meet the evolving demands of the industry with integrity and technical expertise. We proactively update our programs to reflect changes in safety regulations and best practices, maintaining strict compliance with ISO 17,024, the certification of personnel and ANSI accreditation.
Andri Orphanides:This commitment to rigorous standards not only supports the industry's need for qualified inspectors, but also prepares the workforce for the challenges ahead. Additionally, we are excited about our NextGen initiative, which is designed to engage and support the emerging generation of oil and gas inspectors. Through targeted outreach, mentorship, and education, NextGen aims to bridge knowledge gaps, foster innovation, ensure robust pipeline of talent that helps align career development opportunities with current codes and standards. We hope to empower that next generation of professionals to drive safety, reliability, and excellence across the sector, but hopefully to engage with a new generation of individuals who are looking to embrace the technology in the industry and find where we can marry that set of knowledge with certification programs that'll help them stand out. And with our programs that I mentioned earlier in compliance with ISO 17,024, best practice really is every five to seven years to revalidate the programs that you're putting forth.
Andri Orphanides:And that's something that we have a really strict compliance to. The standards themselves are reaffirmed every five years and so every five to seven years we're going back and saying are we still testing on the things that matter? Has anything changed within this job role? Do we need to test on some different areas? Do we need to add to the scope of what the certification program covers?
Andri Orphanides:So we're constantly looking at the programs and making sure that we're building them up to be even bigger, better, or still fit the industry need, if that's the case.
Callum O'Reilly:So Andrea, I just wanted to return to something that you mentioned then about working with the next generation of workers within the industry. And I know that the next era of oil and gas inspectors is a topic that's really important to you and the industry as a whole. Zac, can you talk about generational impacts that you're seeing on the current and future workforce?
Andri Orphanides:Yeah. So there's I look at it at a couple different ways. When I think about the the generations that are coming in, not to just our core programs, but then how are we ensuring that next generation that's coming into maybe how the industry is going to look a little different. And we're also aware of the generational drift that occurs within our certification holders. As experienced inspectors retire and invaluable institutional knowledge gradually leaves the industry.
Andri Orphanides:The shift highlights the pressure or the pressing need to upskill the incoming cohort of inspectors ensuring they're equipped with both foundational and advanced expertise. So when you have someone who's retiring after twenty five, thirty five years, the new person who's coming in, that requires at least minimum five years of training to at least come up to some certain level of knowledge of the person who's exiting from the industry. It's not like you can take one inspector retires and then a newbie inspector comes in and you can just pluck them into that same position. And so to address this, are conducting a comprehensive review of all of our certification offerings segment by segment to identify and close any knowledge gaps that may impact future workforce capability. When we introduce new programs or enhancements, we do so with a clear focus on supporting individual progression and establishing robust career pathways.
Andri Orphanides:This approach not only helps bridge generational divides, but also ensures that each inspector can see a trajectory for growth, development, leadership within the industry. And by aligning our certifications with evolving industry needs and continuous learning opportunities, we empower professionals to thrive throughout their careers while safeguarding the sector's standards of safety, reliability, and excellence. I think one way in which we do this, and we do this in partnership with those in the industry who are leading a lot of how we build out the programs, how we scope the programs. We recently, I say recently, but I guess now it's been five years since we've introduced continuing professional development. And that's something that started with the three core programs that I mentioned earlier, but then started to evolve with the other programs.
Andri Orphanides:And now anytime we introduce a new program in the last couple of years, we put out the nine eighty two for the refractory inspector and they quickly were like, hey, recertification, that should also include some continuing professional development as well. And so I think the interest is to show that the person not only comes in and has a certain knowledge, but then they're also trying to build and always continuously learn. And I think that's a lot of professional certifications that are out there. That's something that most of them have in place is that ability to have continuing professional development as a requirement. It's not a nice to have, it's more of a requirement.
Callum O'Reilly:Okay, Andrew, so for any of our listeners who may be interested, how does one go about getting into the inspection field? And what does career progression look like? You mentioned about continuing the training and development. How does that look?
Andri Orphanides:Yeah, with most of our programs, there are several different ways that you can get in. Some typically start with pursuing the foundational education. So being able to qualify for most of the programs that we have, it's a sliding scale between education and experience in the industry. And so some of them will start out in the engineering, material science or related technical, some related technical discipline. From there, gaining hands on experience through entry level roles or apprenticeships allows those inspectors to build practical skills and industry familiarity.
Andri Orphanides:Career progression is largely shaped by obtaining recognized certifications such as the five ten for pressure vessel inspector, the five seventy or the six fifty three that I mentioned earlier. Those are the critical milestones that help open doors to more specialized roles and increase responsibility. Often when I talk with those who are coming through our programs, I find it a little bit funny that some of them will figure out which one is the hardest to pass or from what they've heard from their friends, and they'll say, the five ten, I heard that's the hardest one to get. So I'm gonna do the five ten first because once I pass that, then I'll set myself up for the next one and the next one. And then it's funny because sometimes one year, it'll be the five ten that everyone's heard is the hardest and the next year it'll be the five seventy that everyone's heard is the hardest.
Andri Orphanides:So they typically start with one of those certifications. We do have some that I call gateway to the industry, if you will. If you weren't if you don't have a lot of experience, our source inspector programs are a good way to get in and kind of look at the procurement side of things. And our source inspector for fixed equipment, that one has the least, if you will, or the nine thirty six for refractory personnel, that one also has the least qualifications needed. So if you're looking for that way into the industry, those are good programs to look at.
Andri Orphanides:But I also mentioned like the NextGen initiative, that's one where we're looking to see how we expand and maybe introduce a whole new suite of certification programs. That's something we've been working on for the last, I don't know, eighteen months to two years with another small group of folks that are looking at how they're embracing technology into the industry. But again, from technical proficiency to supervisory and strategic positions, Being
Callum O'Reilly:able
Andri Orphanides:to empower individuals to contribute meaningfully to industry safety and reliability throughout their careers, that's what we're here for. I've heard so many stories from our inspectors who came in, they didn't really know where they were going to go, what they were going to do. But now there's a lot of them are SMEs and I always hear great stories from them about how they built their career and came in. I think three core things that I always hear from our subject matter experts when they're looking for that new inspector is, and there's soft skills, they're not anything. It's basically, are you reliable?
Andri Orphanides:Can you be at work on time? Do you have a little bit of aptitude and that interest to learn more? And if you show that on the first few days while you're working for the company, they're happy to take you under their wing and see how they can help you develop as well as an individual. I've heard that story from so many different people in our industry.
Callum O'Reilly:That's really interesting. So a strong foundation there and you can build upon that and as long as the building blocks are there at the beginning. And I've seen and correct me if I'm wrong Andrew but I've been doing a little bit of research and I've seen that ICP has around 43,000 certified individuals in 130 countries. So despite the name American Petroleum Institute, API's 800 or so standards are widely adopted all over the world to enhance safety across the industry on a global scale. Where do you have the most certified individuals currently, and in what regions are you seeing a growing demand for qualified inspectors?
Andri Orphanides:Yes. We're in 134 countries, but who's counting? But yes, like I mentioned earlier, we do work very closely with our standards department. Standards are recognized globally. They're cited in federal regulations and international codes as well.
Andri Orphanides:And so our standards department does a really great job of making sure that the folks that are coming together to build the standards, that everyone is complying or at least following a recommended practice that's the same and it's recognized, as you said, globally. And so that's helped our programs grow globally as well. Our largest concentration of certified individuals, probably North America, that kind of remains the core region for our certification programs, probably due to the maturity of the oil and gas sector and long standing adoption of our standards. We also see significant growth and demand for qualified inspectors in The Middle East. I think over the period that I've been here, at least, I've seen it used to be that we could say 55 of our inspectors were in North America and some in Canada and then the rest were in foreign markets.
Andri Orphanides:And over this time, I've seen that of the 43,000 that you mentioned that are holding it, I could safely say probably 44% are or 40 ish percent are in North America. There's about 13%, and then the rest are in the foreign markets. And again, The Middle East being one of the biggest areas, and then Southeast Asia, which is rapidly developing and increasingly prioritizing safety and quality assurance. These regions are probably driving global trends, and companies and professionals seeking internationally recognized certifications to enhance operational excellence and meet rigorous compliance requirements. And so we try to support these key markets and help raise the bar for safety and reliability across the industry worldwide.
Callum O'Reilly:So what's new and upcoming with ICP that we should know about?
Andri Orphanides:Again, building on our commitment to support the next generation of inspectors, we're actively developing new tools and resources tailored for those seeking to enter the industry. One key initiative is the launch of a mentorship program designed to connect newcomers with experienced professionals to help foster guidance, skill building, real world and just getting giving people real world insights from day one. We're also introducing a sort of survey quiz platform to help individuals assess their interests and strengths. This will help motivate them to focus their direction and make informed decisions about their career path. This actually came this idea came from us attending career fairs where we were trying to with the new generation and trying to figure out how we help them navigate.
Andri Orphanides:And so there's gonna be a little bit of a gaming aspect, if you will, where you get to choose an avatar, you answer questions, and it'll help direct you to certain programs where you may wanna start based on, some of the experience that you already have. And then you heard me talk about our NextGen effort to hopefully inspire and equip future inspectors, but not just inspectors, but those who might be in the technical fields as well in the oil and gas industry, and just make sure that they're that folks there's a way for folks to be able to have dynamic opportunities in the field.
Callum O'Reilly:So finally, the API's biannual inspection and mechanical integrity summit is coming up in July. So can you tell us a little more about this event and what delegates can expect from the summit?
Andri Orphanides:Yes. So my second favorite thing to talk about. This year actually for us marks a significant milestone. We celebrate our tenth edition of our premier event, which has become probably a cornerstone for professionals in the oil and gas inspection industry and the mechanical integrity industry. The event not only brings together leading experts and innovators, but also showcases the evolution and impact of the inspectors and the mechanical integrity Field over the past decade.
Andri Orphanides:To mark this special occasion, we're introducing several exciting new features to start off. We're including a golf charity event to benefit Hope for the Warriors, a wonderful amazing group to work with on this event, but also because of what they are offering for our veterans, I'd encourage everyone to check them out and see how you can get involved with the golf event and help support hope. Training day has always been part of the inspection summit, but this, and it's always on the Monday before, we look to see where we can expand the training opportunities that are available. The summit covers several different sectors of the industry, and so we really took a good look at the training programs and said, okay, how do we make sure that there's training that's not just downstream focus, but how does it also, how can we expand to the other sectors as well to make it something for everyone, if you will. We've also added a new track that looks at the petrochemical industry.
Andri Orphanides:We included some well thought out specialized areas under each of the segments. For example, under our multi sector track, was important to include the digital transformation to address what's happening within the industry. We're also adding what we're calling our energy exchange. Those will be short focused discussions with leading experts. There really is, I think there really is something for everyone at every second that you're there at the inspection summit.
Andri Orphanides:And I can't forget our exhibit hall, which is gonna have probably a good number, if not close to 100 or over 100 industry exhibitors and folks. We've got just so many different things for expanding the networking sessions. Again, so many things for everyone to do, and you can build your schedule this year. We're really focusing on making sure that individuals are able to look at the schedule and see if there's a beginner course, if they're new to the industry, there's sessions that are marked for intermediate and then there's sessions that are marked for the experts. People can build their schedule and their day to attend the things that they think will be most valuable to them.
Callum O'Reilly:So something for everyone, like you say, definitely.
Andri Orphanides:Yeah. And I would be remiss if I didn't talk about all the hardworking volunteers that we've had, because this is a huge effort to run. We have three or four days, I guess, with training day, but to get the training day, to get all these different sectors together, we've got an enormous team behind us. And we've also I've also got a planning team that's really, really great that represent the industry from our chair, Brent Ray, and our co chair, Mark Hart. I'm gonna forget somebody I hate when I start naming names.
Andri Orphanides:Travis Harrington, who's been really great and will probably be taking over as chair for the 2028 program. Mason Thomas, Rafael from Bect, Agatha, and I know I'm missing couple Blaze. I could sit here and knock off a bunch of other names and hopefully I didn't forget anybody.
Callum O'Reilly:Great stuff, Andrew. I can tell it's your second favorite subject to talk about there. We could have kept going for a bit longer. But I really, really appreciate your time today for joining us and giving us that insight into API and ICP. I can see it's laid the foundations for thousands of workers in the industry, so it you're all doing a great job, it's really exciting to hear a little bit more about it and congratulations on the tenth anniversary of your summit I hope it goes really well and yeah it's a great success.
Andri Orphanides:Yeah thank you.
Callum O'Reilly:So thank you again to Andrew from API for sharing her insights into the role of certification in supporting a safer and highly skilled inspection workforce. Now if you'd like to learn more about API's individual certification programs or the upcoming inspection and mechanical integrity summit you can head over to www.api.org. Thanks for listening to the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast. Please make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll be back soon with another episode.
Advert:This episode of the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast is sponsored by Sherwin Williams Protective and Marine. Sherwin Williams Protective and Marine delivers world class industry subject matter expertise, unparalleled technical and specification service, and unmatched regional commercial team support to customers around the globe, including in the energy market. The company's broad portfolio of high performance coatings and systems, including protected liquid and powder coatings, as well as fire protection coatings, excel at combating corrosion and help customers achieve smarter, time tested asset protection. For more information, visit protective.sherwin.com.