| Details: | The UK offshore oil and gas industry and its two main training organisations, Cogent (the industry's Sector Skills Council) and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), have signed up to a Charter that will deliver a multi-million pound training scheme aimed at attracting young technicians and sustaining the skills requirements of the Industry.
The new "Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Technician Training Scheme" will train young technicians - current estimates suggest more than 500 - over the next five years for employment at offshore installations and onshore terminals around the British Isles. The scheme is designed to meet the Industry's long-term skills requirements and will cost more than £70,000 per trainee, over the 3½ year duration of each phase of the programme. It will be formally launched tomorrow (24 September) at the joint government industry meeting of PILOT in Glasgow, chaired by Energy Minister Brian Wilson MP.
The scheme is supported by all major North Sea operators and contracting companies, with funding being channelled through Cogent and the ECITB. A total of £9 million has been committed to deliver the training required for this year's intake of over 120 trainees, the first of whom have already started their training at accredited centres in England and Scotland.
"The Industry has put in place a sustainable process to ensure that the required technical skills will be available to meet future needs," said Michel Contie, managing director of TotalFinaElf Exploration UK plc and current president of the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA). "It is a forward-thinking scheme which represents a substantial financial investment and commitment to the Industry's future. The scheme will deliver highly skilled, competent technicians who will continue the process of developing the UK's natural resources in a safe and environmentally responsible manner."
Brian Wilson, Energy Minister and chair of PILOT, said: "This is an excellent example of the foresight shown by the oil and gas industry - delivering solutions to meet the skills gap that we know the Industry will soon face. I look forward to seeing more young people finding a prosperous future in the oil and gas industry."
The scheme integrates the complementary training programmes of Cogent and the ECITB, to provide a steady flow of technicians who will be qualified to a uniformly high standard. The number of recruits each year will be determined by an annual survey of the Industry's specific requirements across different disciplines.
Bill Murray, chief executive of the Offshore Contractors' Association (OCA), said: "The traditional sources of experienced technical staff for the oil and gas industry are disappearing. The scheme shows that the Industry is planning ahead and is prepared to invest to secure the specialist skills of technical staff that it needs for the future."
John Ramsay, chief executive of Cogent, said: "The oil and gas industry requires highly skilled and specialised people. This scheme responds to a very specific need and goes a long way to securing the sector's future workforce in the face of strong competition from other industries. It is also a significant milestone for Cogent as it fulfils our responsibility to improve business performance through the development of skills and to provide innovative solutions to satisfy business needs."
Danny Carrigan, national officer at Amicus AEEU and PILOT member, said: "This scheme is the result of an imaginative and co-operative partnership between all sectors of the Industry. It provides outstanding training to talented young people from all backgrounds and represents a solid vote of confidence in the future of the UK oil and gas sector."
Jim Rowland CBE, chairman of the ECITB, said: "The ECITB is proud to be a key contributor to this collaborative effort. We wholeheartedly believe that in forming alliances such as these, we shall secure a sustainable future for the industry and opportunities for lifelong learning."
The content, structure and delivery of training will be designed and provided jointly by the ECITB and Cogent. Further information is available on www.oilandgastechnicians.com. |
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