It’s no secret that many workers in the oil and gas sector are expected to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, causing a global skills shortage. This significant loss of experience and expertise will require the industry to recruit and train thousands of people over the next decade to maximize recovery of oil and gas reserves.

In the UK, OPITO – the oil and gas industry skills body – is building on its pilot Transition Training Programme (TTP) to fill this talent gap by strengthening direct links between the industry and its potential talent pool. In the coming months, the group will be focusing on delivering industry awareness sessions to 300 personnel.

Recent headlines have announced that the UK is expected to cut 3,000 armed forces jobs in 2014, and at least 20,000 military jobs are expected to be cut by 2020. This gives oil and gas firms an opportunity to fill the gaps in their workforce by employing these former military service members who have a broad range of transferable skills.

The skills required within the oil and gas sector have been changing, and OPITO is evolving to help drive the sector into a new era. Its efforts are geared toward addressing the skills challenges while driving the industry forward through the creation of a streamlined, coordinated national strategy.

Valuable skills

The skills and level of experience held by former military personnel are of great value to the industry. These service members are well trained, safety conscious, and very dependable. Their work ethic and familiarity with operations allow them to fill jobs in all sectors of the industry, including offshore positions.

The industry is aware that to meet future skills needs it must broaden its appeal beyond the traditional recruitment routes as a means of increasing the pool of skilled workers available to the sector. OPITO launched TTP because of the need to open a communication channel between the industry and ex-military workers. The program is designed to educate the former military personnel about their job prospects within the oil and gas industry and about all the different facets of the industry. The new TTP marks the first time the UK oil and gas industry has connected directly with service personnel in this way.

The program also is intended to dispel some of the myths surrounding the sector, like those claiming that all the available roles will be based offshore and that it’s a dirty industry with no future.

Finding the right jobs

Following this training, the candidates’ skills and competence levels will be cross-matched with equivalent levels of roles in the industry through the OPITO skills mapping project. The project involves collaboration among OPITO, industry partners, personnel leaving the armed forces, and the UK Ministry of Defence and will allow OPITO to correlate the skillsets across the services with those needed in the oil and gas sector. This effort should allow employers to easily recognize the transferable skills of military personnel upon receiving their applications.

OPITO and its partner Oil and Gas Academy of Scotland are working together to further develop the electronic skills screening tool, which will enable employers to identify competency gaps in future staff from the military and other industries. This will give employers the opportunity to address gaps in the early stages of an employee’s career and will prevent unnecessary training.

Former military workers have claimed they are being turned away from jobs in the industry because they don’t have any oil and gas experience. Also at issue are candidates’ r?sum?s, which don’t always clearly highlight the valuable and transferable skills gained from their military experiences.

The oil and gas industry is the fourth most popular career path considered by former military, which is why it is one of OPITO’s missions to help oil and gas firms recognize the benefits of hiring and cross-training ex-military service personnel.

Currently, the oil and gas industry is estimated to support 450,000 jobs across the UK. It is crucial that UK oil and gas companies start seeking skilled workers now as they work to ensure the future growth of the industry.

Although currently aimed at ex-military personnel, OPITO expects to expand the TTP to target other skilled industries in the future. OPITO’s pilot programs have so far provided a solid test platform from which it has been able to refine and refocus to best meet the needs of the industry.

By working in partnership with industry, government, and education, OPITO is adressing the urgent need for a less fragmented approach to the skills issue, and it is addressing these shortages to meet the long-term demand for a skilled workforce.

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