Thirty companies, including oil majors BP, Chevron and Total, hold interests in the seas West of Shetland.
Add to that a rise in the number of potential new field developments in the Central North Sea and more than 160 brownfield development projects in the works over the next few years, and we are in line for a bow wave of new work.
While never one to dip a toe into scare-mongering territory just to make a point, there’s no point in denying that, if the UK industry chooses to ignore these early warning signs and isn’t ready for the rise in activity when it comes, we will very likely be faced with a resurgence of the crippling skills issues we saw in 2005 and 2008.
The last thing we need is a return to the days of project delays, cost inflation and off-the-scale salary rises as companies fight to attract and retain the skilled workforce needed to take advantage of the upsurge.
This is why OPITO embarked on a comprehensive labour market intelligence survey with the help of The Robert Gordon University.
Aimed at identifying pinch points across the UK industry, more than 1,000 employers spanning the construction, drilling, engineering, geoscience, marine, science, inspection and operations spectrums have been asked to contribute. Covering a range of topics, it is hoped that the survey will help identify the qualifications and skills that the industry currently holds; pinpoint areas where companies perceive the biggest growth to their business to be, and outline what skills are needed to support this.
Vitally, it will also provide a snapshot of recent and existing vacancies in the industry so that we can see the areas which need our focus.
But oil&gas is not alone in thinking this way. Whether linked to the recent economic turmoil which has changed the face of many industries or not, bodies around the country are gauging their sector’s health in an effort to ensure that they are best placed for going forward. This includes organisations such as the Engineering and Construction Industry Training Board, with which oil&gas has existing strong links in terms of a shared skills base.
Put all this research together and we may find that some of the pools which we traditionally tap into when recruiting skilled workers may well be looking at managing skills issues of their own – for example, nuclear new-build, wind, wave and carbon-capture sectors.
The results of the OPITO survey are expected before the end of the year. Let’s not stand idly by and allow a return to the spiral of inflated wages and “skills pinching” as employers up the ante in order to attract the cream of the skilled talent.
Let’s acknowledge the signs and do the groundwork now so that, as an industry, we can all capitalise on the good times ahead. It’s a cyclical industry by its very nature, but we don’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past.
David Doig is group CEO at OPITO Strategic
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