ECONOMIC REPORT 2013
59
Skills
The past year has seen frequent reports in
the media of the skills shortages facing the
industry and it is acknowledged as one of the
biggest challenges. The limited data available
about the labour market (which was tested at
Oil & Gas UK’s skills conference in September
2012) show that the critical areas of shortage
are in a number of mid-career, onshore roles,
including design engineering, subsea and
drilling engineering, project management and
geosciences. Technicians and skilled craftsmen
are also in short supply because of the high
volume of activity.
The shortages are partly due to reductions
implemented when the oil price has been
low in the past, as in the 1990s, but they are
also very much a consequence of the current
success of the industry. The skills, expertise
and technology developed on the UKCS
are highly sought after by other oil and gas
provinces around the world; competition for
skills is truly international.
Supply chain companies have highlighted
the mid-career gap and have been working
with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing
and Supply to develop accredited courses.
However, the large number of applicants for
the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Technician
Training Scheme and companies’ graduate
schemes indicates that the industry is
attracting new entrants straight from school
and university.
During the past year, Oil & Gas UK has been
working with industry to identify where and to
what extent co-operation across the industry
can help tackle the demand for skills. A number
of actions have been identified, including:
•
Establishing a high level industry
relationship with the Ministry of Defence
(MoD)
– 18-20,000 men and women will
leave the armed forces in each of the next
three years and many of them will have
transferable skills. The industry’s training
organisation, OPITO
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, is working with the
MoD to map and identify skills in both
industry and military roles to facilitate the
matching of skills and the development of
appropriate transition training.
•
Discipline work groups in areas of
shortage have been established to
explore the feasibility of transition
training/accelerated development.
•
Creating smarter training solutions
– for
example, through possible development of
facilities that could be used as assessment
or proving centres for skilled workers from
other industries and to reduce the offshore
training time required. A feasibility study is
underway for this initiative.
•
Lobbying the government on immigration
policy to facilitate recruitment of skilled
personnel from non-EU countries.
•
Education
– pooling of resources and
effort under the auspices of OPITO so
the industry can reach more schools
throughout the country, more often,
and with consistent messages about the
importance of and opportunities afforded
by studying STEM subjects.
Though the sector has no difficulties in
attracting new entrants to the industry, it is
important for the longer term to sustain a flow
of school leavers and university graduates with
STEM qualifications, not just for this industry,
but for the economy as a whole.
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