A body responsible for training North Sea workers is working to ensure that skills development does not fall off the agenda due to the oil price slump.
Yesterday Opito launched schools week, a work experience taster programme for 70 north-east pupils. The students from 27 schools across the region will get a chance to learn about and engage with 22 oil and gas companies across the supply chain.
The number of companies participating in the week-long series of events has risen from nine last year which was the first time the scheme was trialled.
The students will get a chance to visit offshore survival training and drilling simulator centres, as well as exploring an extensive range of onshore careers including engineering, business support and marketing.
John McDonald, managing director of Optio said: “This is a difficult time for the industry. We hear a lot about costs in the industry and its future. But we have to ensure we have a skilled workforce for the future.
“Because we know what has happened in the past, we are having discussions with operators and contractors to ensure that doesn’t happen again and that we don’t have a repeat of 2009.
“One of the things that is encouraging is we are continuing to recruit apprentices into the system. The operators are absolute in wanting to do that and keen to tell young people that the industry will be here for a very long time to come.”
Yesterday the students got started at Nexen Petroleum’s state-of-the-art offices at Prime Four in Kingswells.
Archie Kennedy, managing director of Nexen said: “It is a pleasure to support Opito’s schools week and by participating, Nexen hopes to encourage and inspire young students to pursue the diverse range of careers within the oil and gas industry. By giving students a taste of our business, we are giving our nest generation of explorers, scientists, engineers and safety specialists a foundation into one the most innovative and highly skilled industries in the world.”
The other potential future employers they will visit include Aker Solutions, BP, Konsberg Maritime, Maersk Training, the National Hyberbaric Centre, the RGU Energy Centre, Schlumberger, Subsea 7 and Survivex.
Maersk Training general manager John Abate said: “This programme is critically important as it aims to develop a talented and skilled workforce for the future of the oil and gas industry.
“We look forward to welcoming the pupils to our new facilities at Kingswells, Aberdeen, where they will be shown demonstrations of our simulators and understand the need for our safety training portfolio.”
