Students and Alumni of the Global Energy Management (GEM) Program at the University of Colorado recently had the opportunity to tour an Ensign Energy oil rig in Hudson, Colorado. The tour was the inaugural event of the “GEM Energy Site Tour Series.” This new program is an extension of the GEM Speaker Series, and it will include quarterly visits to various energy sites around Colorado.

The program was created to allow students and alumni to experience more hands-on learning as well as the technical side of energy. While many of the participants on this Ensign Energy rig tour either are currently or have previously been professionals in the energy industry, this was a chance for them to gain new perspective on the industry. The tour represented an opportunity to learn how an oil rig operates on a functional level, and gave GEM students and Alumni the opportunity to ask questions of those on the frontlines of the energy industry.

The GEM Energy Site Tour Series is but one tool that the GEM program uses to give students a well-rounded and in-depth education. The Global Energy Management program at the University of Colorado Denver Business School is the only one of its kind that focuses on preparing students to take on high-level positions throughout the global energy field. Government, energy industry and community leaders collaborated with the Business School to create this groundbreaking degree program that’s a talent pipeline for energy companies, which has become one of the most respected programs in the energy industry.

The hands-on and relevant education provided by the GEM program, such as through the Energy Site Tour Series, keeps GEM program is at the forefront of preparing students for the rapidly expanding field of energy management and sustainable technology. In fact, a recent study by Verdantix suggests that annual spending in this area will increase from $1.7 billion in 2011 to $2.5 billion by 2015.

To find out more about the GEM program, visit their Homepage. You can also find out about all of GEM’s upcoming events by visiting visit the program’s Calendar of Events page.