Energy service giant Petrofac said yesterday it would invest £1.5million in its offshore fire-training operation.
Petrofac Training Services (PTS) will use the cash to upgrade its 16-acre Montrose site, which has been training North Sea workers for 30 years.
The investment means PTS will offer a mix of hands-on training and classroom learning to fire safety trainees. It will include a new simulation programme where participants will learn about different scenarios before starting live-fire work.
PTS global director Gordon Caird said: “This is a major investment for Petrofac, for Montrose and for the future of safety training in the north-east. It demonstrates the depth of our continued commitment to maintaining and improving safety standards while helping to develop a competent workforce for North Sea operations and indeed around the globe.”
The Angus site – formerly part of RGIT Montrose until the whole business was bought by Petrofac for £17.4million in 2004 – has trained more than 100,000 people since it opened in the late 1970s.
Mr Caird said: “The north-east has the potential to lead the way in this area and become a centre of excellence for offshore safety, which will no doubt boost the local economy and increase safety around the world.”