The University of Aberdeen is offering a discount on postgraduate education to unemployed oil and gas workers.
The offer of a 20% discount for full-time or part-time study is open to people who live in Aberdeen City or Shire who have been made redundant or left unemployed as a result of the downturn in the sector.
It will apply to energy-related courses starting in September 2016 – or for some courses January 2017 – and will span several disciplines including engineering, business, law, geosciences, natural and computing sciences, and biological sciences.
Typical post graduate energy courses range from £4,500 to £9,600 for Scottish and EU students. Overseas students can expect to pay £17,000-£25,000.
University principal, Professor Sir Ian Diamond, said: “The downturn in the oil and gas industry is having a significant impact on many skilled workers in the north-east who are currently unemployed and facing an uncertain future.
“As a University at the heart of the community we want to demonstrate our commitment to helping the sector and its workforce by offering a 20 percent discount across our range of postgraduate energy programmes.
“These cover a range of disciplines, and our hope is that those who take advantage of this offer will significantly improve their employment prospects by retraining or enhancing their existing skills.”
The announcement comes ahead of the University’s Postgraduate Open Day which is being held on Saturday (March 5th).
The event is being held at King’s College Conference Centre in Old Aberdeen, showcasing its postgraduate opportunities, including its energy portfolio.
Scottish Government Energy Minister Fergus Ewing, welcomed the announcement. He said: “The Scottish Government announced a £12 million Transition Training Fund which will focus on people who have lost, or face losing, their jobs in the oil and gas sector.
The fund will provide assistance by offering grants to individuals for retraining and up-skilling. It will also aim to help people with the costs of maintaining any licences needed to work in the sector, and develop options to enable individuals to bring their skills and expertise into teaching.”
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