A job for life was once a saying that was heard often. Today, though, it is becoming less so, partly because employees seek out new challenges and, as a result, move from company to company.
However, Transocean, an offshore drilling contractor and drilling management services provider, consistently sees staff mark 30 years and more of continuous employment with the company. This is in part thanks to the investment it has made in staff training programmes.
Transocean first began operating in the North Sea in the mid-1960s, launching the first rigs to work offshore all year round.
Currently, the company operates 11 rigs in the North Sea and employs around 1,200 people offshore in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and has over 450 onshore personnel based in Aberdeen.
Employee training and career development has been a cornerstone of Transocean for decades. The company opened the first, full-scale well-control training facility in Aberdeen in 1975. Over the past four decades, it has expanded the suite of courses that it offers.
Transocean’s Aberdeen training centre offers employees a range of courses which are designed to allow participants to progress in their chosen discipline, either drilling, electrical, marine, mechanical, subsea or supply chain. To make the learning experience as realistic as possible, the facility is fitted with lifting and marine simulators. There are also standard and cyber chair drilling simulators to develop current and future drillers.
Neil Clyne, Transocean’s North Sea Division general manager, said: “We recognise that our business is driven by the people that we employ. As a result, we are committed to ensuring that they have as many opportunities to progress their careers within the company as possible. That is why our Aberdeen training facility is so important to us.”
The company is committed to developing the skills of its personnel and all of Transocean’s current OIMs (offshore installation managers) have progressed from either drilling, deck or marine roles.
The firm realises the importance of recruiting new employees with ambition to become its supervisors of the future. As a result of all its rigs being contracted for this year, and some through into 2013, it is looking for experienced people to join its team.
Neil said: “We have some of the most experienced people in the industry. This provides huge opportunities for new members of staff to learn and share with some of the best minds in the business. In a company of our size, there are many opportunities for career progression. I joined the company in 1977 as a roustabout in the North Sea and have progressed to my current position.”
Last year, Transocean underlined its commitment to the North Sea by announcing a multimillion-pound investment in a new 100,000sq ft headquarters and global training centre. The move to the energy complex at Kingswells will bring the firm’s north-east workforce under one roof and provide state-of-the-art training facilities.
Neil said: “The investment in our new facilities illustrates our dedication to the North Sea and also the wellbeing of our staff.
“It affords us a tremendous opportunity to achieve much better integration while expanding our purpose-built training centre, which will continue to fulfil a global role within Transocean.”
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