In the short-term, a lack of transition training to capture transferable skills is the biggest human resources issue for the industry, says industry skills body OPITO.
“The Transition Training Programme (TTP) is a fast-track course which takes workers with relevant, practical experience and key technical skills, and upskills them to plug vital gaps within the oil and gas industry,” says Larraine Boorman, its managing director.
“In order to generate a solution that tackles the industry’s skills needs as a whole however, we are working at a national level to allow the industry to better predict and plan for the resources that are becoming available in the long term, and match those with demand among employers.”
Long-term, through OPITO the industry is also engaging with thousands of school pupils across the UK to promote a diversity of careers and develop joint education strategies that encourage the uptake of key science, technology, engineering, and maths subjects.
Today, the final day of SPE Offshore Europe 2013, in Aberdeen, will see the return of the popular Energise Your Future event, the only channel for linking the next generation of oil and gas workers with exhibiting companies.
“We are running a raft of initiatives that are absolutely geared to attracting the future oil and gas workforce, and we are really starting to pin-point the immediate needs of the industry and deliver solutions,” says Mrs Boorman.
“Our involvement with education, at all levels, continues to ensure the future workforce is fully informed of the opportunities the industry offers. Our successful events, educational programmes, resources, and initiatives continue to reach children from the ages of 14 and beyond, throughout the UK.”
“Our Modern Apprenticeship (MA) Schemealone, has seen more than 1,360 young people enter the oil and gas sector in the last decade, creating a grassroots solution to the industry-wide skills shortage.”
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