Around 700 newcomers to Scotland's energy industry could get access to essential training and skills as a result of a £2million Energy Challenge Fund, managed on behalf of the Scottish Government by Skills Development Scotland.
When recent research indicated that the oil and gas industry was facing the prospect of finding 120,000 new recruits in the north-east in the next 10 years, it highlighted the scale of the task facing those on the frontline.
An industry boss has warned that offshore wind developments around the UK may have to rely on a largely foreign workforce because of a severe skills gap.
