Rumblings over the perceived skills shortage facing the worldwide oil and gas industry have been a firm fixture in industry forums, news portals and boardrooms for the past decade or more. Warnings over the skills gap left when the baby boomers retire, taking their knowledge and expertise with them, have circled the industry like a vulture, painting a somewhat distorted view that the industry is on the brink of a major crisis. While it is true to say that the skills issue is one of the greatest challenges to be faced, the cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry means it is in a far better position than many others to weather the storm of economic turbulence and uncertainty.
Employers are increasingly looking to see how they can add value to their business – this includes bringing in the right people from all disciplines and across all sectors and developing them. The oil and gas industry is now better placed to bring people in than it has ever been before, thanks to major investment to open up entry routes and highlight the wide range of careers it offers. Indeed, the benefits it offers in terms of career and lifestyle options make it an attractive proposition where talent is recognised and hard work rewarded. What matters most is how the industry adapts to the ever-evolving outside influences and whether it is prepared to embrace change. All employees need a period of evaluation and a regular checkup to examine their state of health in both their personal and professional lives. This check-up provides the ideal opportunity for companies to determine what has been going right and, similarly, what has not been working out as planned.
Over the last four decades the industry in the UK has spent nearly £60 billion on exploration drilling. This figure is replicated 10-fold in other oil and gas provinces around the globe. While investment in skills has been a fraction of that, the figure is rising. It is promising that since the first warnings over the potential workforce skills shortage were voiced, the industry has taken significant steps to secure its feedstock for the future, both in the North Sea and far beyond.
Raising the bar on international safety and competency standards is a vital element in addressing the skills issue. Ensuring the message gets out that this is an industry with a long, prosperous and safe future ahead of it is key to attracting new blood.
As the custodian of industry standards in emergency response, industry training and competence in the worldwide oil and gas industry, OPITO provides technical support to energy companies operating around the world. Its independent voice has seen major operators and foreign governments actively seek out OPITO’sexpertise to help assist oil and gas provinces to develop the high standards established in energy hubs worldwide – a clear indication of the industry’s desire to improve. This drive has already seen significant inroads made into the Middle East and Asia-Pacific markets, where OPITO has forged strong links and agreements with employers and governments. A landmark agreement with the Indonesian government saw the creation of a competence standards framework for the country’s offshore workforce. This resulted in thousands of Indonesian workers trained to world-class technical and emergency response standards for the first time.
Similar work has been undertaken in Mexico and with the Technical Petroleum Training Institute of Thailand, which saw the introduction of the tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) standard. Indeed, more than 120,000 people across 30 countries are trained to OPITO standards every year worldwide.
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