Energy Skills Challenge Fund helps train subsea divers

The Underwater Centre gains funding for 15 more trainees

The Underwater Centre awarded further £130,000 to train a further 15 divers

The Underwater Centre in Fort William has been awarded a further £130,000 as part of a major initiative to encourage Scottish-based individuals to begin a new career in commercial diving.

Steve Ham, general manager at The Underwater Centre, welcomed the additional funding. “This is great news for those who want to pursue a career in diving but have perhaps never had the opportunity financially to go for it,” he said. “It is also good news for industry, which is struggling to find skilled workers for the subsea sector at a time of sustained growth and expansion.

Announcement of this latest funding package from the Scottish Government’s Energy Skills Challenge Fund comes just three months after The Underwater Centre was awarded £360,000 towards the training of 42 Scottish-based individuals; the new funding will allow them to take on an additional 15 trainees.

The Underwater Centre was overwhelmed with enquiries after the announcement of the first tranche of funding last October, and has successfully filled all 42 places following a series of introductory assessment days. The first training courses began in early January.

Gordon McGuiness, Head of Industry and Enterprise Networks at Skills Development Scotland, added: “The additional funding allocated to The Underwater Centre is an excellent example of sector-specific training to set another group of commercial divers on the right track to a successful career within the energy sector.”

The Energy Skills Challenge Fund is managed by Skills Development Scotland and aims to attract new entrants into Scotland’s energy sector and help people make their existing skills relevant to the sector. The funding is available to individuals with a Scottish postcode.

The news comes at a time when the UK is facing a skills shortage in the oil and gas sector, as well as an ageing population of commercial divers - a recent report by Oil and Gas UK shows that in 2011, more than a third of the UK’s ‘core’ diving personnel were aged between 45-54 years.

The funding will allow 15 prospective students the opportunity to undertake one of two courses - The Underwater Centre's New Construction Career Package or its Premium Industry Package – for half the normal fee, giving them the support and training needed to get started as commercial divers.

Both the Premium Industry and New Construction Career Packages provide training in the statutory components of the Health and Safety Executive's commercial diving curriculum, as well as training in the use of subsea tools and practical exercises in carrying out construction and maintenance tasks underwater, such as subsea welding and cutting, and rigging and slinging operations. The Premium Industry Package also includes training in subsea inspection techniques, a vital skill to have when working offshore. Diving provides an excellent career choice, with many benefits, including job satisfaction and good earning potential. 85% of the Centre’s students are working within three months of graduating, with some students landing a job within a week.

Training is particularly geared towards equipping and up-skilling those with transferrable skills and a hands-on attitude. It will help prepare the next generation of commercial divers for the wide range of career opportunities available within the energy sector, including Scotland’s renewable industry and the oil and gas sector.

As well as providing the mandatory HSE commercial diver training, they also include essential vocational skills, which form an excellent base for anyone seeking a career in onshore or offshore air diving.

Anyone interested in finding out more about this latest opportunity should contact The Underwater Centre on 01397 703786 or [email protected].