A skills training academy based in Nigg Energy Park has already prepared new recruits for life at Global Energy.
The Nigg Skills Academy was opened in March by First Minister Alex Salmond and 180 of its students already work for the company.
The academy, which has been funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland and Highland and Islands Enterprise, was set up in partnership with Global.
It offers fast-track 12 to 16-week courses which provide trainees with the skills and qualifications needed to work in the energy industry. The centre specialises in fabrication, plating and pipe-fitting.
Training continues in the workplace where the firm “buddies up” trainees with experienced workers until they achieve their Modern Apprenticeship. About a quarter of trainees come through the Jobcentre Plus training-for-work scheme. The academy aims to provide training for about 3,000 people by 2015.