Two of the UK’s leading oil&gas industry bodies have joined forces to develop a new training programme aimed at expanding the nation’s subsea skills and expertise.
Subsea UK and OPITO – The Oil & Gas Academy are working together to create a series of subsea modules within the academy’s successful Petroleum Open Learning (POL) programme.
A flexible self-learning tool aimed at increasing technical knowledge, POL allows learners to take responsibility for their own training and study at their own pace.
Programmes, in which learners complete a set of modules, also allow employers to develop the capabilities of their current and future workforces, with successful trainees gaining a recognised national certificate accredited by City & Guilds.
The new subsea modules are targeted at a wide audience, including technicians and engineers, and will focus on subsea controls, valves and process components; subsea hardware; pipelines; flexible pipelines; risers and umbilicals; ROV (remotely operated vehicle) systems; subsea operations and subsea intervention operations.
The six-module course will be ready for launch by spring 2011.
Alistair Birnie, chief executive of Subsea UK, said: “The UK subsea sector has a dominant position in a global market, having strong connections with major projects ongoing all over the world.
“To retain this position and beat off worldwide competition, we must keep investing in people and in developing new capabilities to ensure we maintain our key differentiators. This partnership with the academy and its POL programme offers a significant step towards that goal.”
David Doig, CEO of OPITO Group, said: “Developing and nurturing skills of the oil&gas employees will not only serve to enhance the industry but also extend the timeframe of activity in the North Sea. It’s vital the industry invests in the skills of our existing workforce to allow them to reach their personal potential, but also to ensure we have a flexible and accessible route into the energy sector for the next generation.”
