The chief executive of Opito – the Oil and Gas Academy – is spelling out the importance of investing in education and training at an industry conference in London this week.
Tomorrow David Doig will highlight the implications in the UK of developments in the worldwide oil and gas industry and also the principal challenges and opportunities.
He will also explain the way in which the industry is served by education and training institutions in the public and private sectors, particularly in the current economic climate.
Speaking before the three-day Getenergy Exploration and Production (E&P) event got under way today, Mr Doig said: “The common theme among employers is that the next 12-18 months will be a period of rationalisation and consolidation.
“While the oil and gas industry is not immune to the economic downturn, it will weather the storm as it has done on numerous occasions before.
“Employers are increasingly looking to see how they can add value to their business and this includes bringing in the right people – of all disciplines and across all sectors – and developing them.”
The academy – which has its headquarters at Portlethen, near Aberdeen – is striving to increase the number of applications to courses supporting the core activities of oil and gas exploration and production, at the same time as ensuring qualifications are developed and tailored to meet specific industry needs.
Getenergy E&P, now in its fifth year, is expected to attract hundreds of delegates from around the globe.
Industry body Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) will brief about 100 delegates from the offshore sector on Thursday on developments in the control of major hazard risks.
The Health and Safety Executive will also outline its current thinking on KPIs (key performance indicators) during the half-day event at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Leading operating companies will share what they have been doing to develop KPIs.
OGUK health, safety, social and environment director Chris Allen said: “KPIs are designed to provide management assurance of the overall effectiveness of their asset integrity and process safety systems, giving early warning of any degradation.
“It is important that the upstream oil and gas industry can show that major hazard risks are under control.
“Knowing how effectively these risks are being managed is an essential feature of any successful health and safety management system.”