A further 150 free places on an offshore safety and technical training programme have been made available to people in the north-east after the first was “overwhelmed” by over a thousand applicants.
Training firm Relyon Nutec has been allocated £155,000 so that an additional 150 individuals can take a funded training space.
Previously the firm had won £400,000 from the £14.3 million North East Economic Recovery and Skills Fund (NEERSF) to provide 400 training opportunities in December.
Relyon Nutec, which operates training centres worldwide including in Aberdeen and Teesside, said more than a thousand people had applied although not all were eligible.
Fully funded places at Relyon Nutec’s Aberdeen training centre are available to people living in the Aberdeen city and shire areas who are currently working in the oil and gas sector and want to recertify for the offshore wind industry, those who want to achieve first certification in the energy sector, and workers who want to renew their oil and gas safety training following 90 days lapse of certification.
It has offered free training spaces to over 320 people since January, many of whom were unemployed, with others looking to re-enter the industry or transition to renewables.
Most of the training delivered so far has been for the renewables industry, which normally costs in the region of £2,000 to complete GWO (Global Wind Organisation) basic safety and technical training.
There is a current waitlist of over a hundred keen to take advantage of the free oil and gas safety training or the offshore wind combined training, the company said.
Both of the funding packages were awarded by ETZ Ltd, which manages the NEERSF funding aimed at improving employment prospects across the region.
© Supplied by RelyOn Nutec‘Overwhelmed’
Managing director of Relyon Nutec (UK), Bob Donnelly, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the amount of interest we have received in this free industry safety training.
“Overall, we had more than a thousand applicants but some of them fell outwith the eligibility requirements.
“Of those we have supported, a number of them were unemployed or struggling to find work due to lapsed certification so we are pleased to have been able to help these people take an essential step to get back to work following the downturn and pandemic.
“More than one hundred candidates also registered with recruiters and employers at recruitment events we hosted at the training centre.
“The reallocated funding of £155,000 is a huge boost as we will now be able to help even more workers in the region.
“The uptake we have seen in these free training opportunities highlights that there is a real appetite for local people to get back into the industry or transition to renewables and it’s essential that we invest now in the industry talent of the future.”
ETZ Ltd offshore renewables director Andy Rodden, said an “an overwhelming number of delegates” had been through the offshore recertification programme.
“The reallocation of funding will ensure further delegates can receive first-class training to maximise their opportunities in new sectors.
As a region we must progress ways to harness and retain the north-east of Scotland’s existing unrivalled skill set.
“Programmes such as the Relyon Nutec funded courses are vital to developing our workforce to underpin the energy transition.”
Individuals securing the funded training with Relyon Nutec will also have two years’ access to the training firm’s e-learning library and a personal profile on its digital system, which is accessed by the firm’s client base to source fully certified personnel.
People who are eligible to secure the funded training can contact Relyon Nutec direct on 08444 142 142 to book a place or visit their website at relyonnutec.com/support/energytransition.
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