OPITO Appoints U.K. Managing Director
OPITO, the skills for oil and gas body, appointed a new managing director to lead the U.K. arm of the organization as the industry gears up for a major change in how it addresses its skills needs. John McDonald has taken over the reins at OPITO from Larraine Boorman who stood down in August. He brings a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in the skills, training and workforce development sector to the Aberdeen-headquartered organization. Former director of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Mr.
New Plan to Plug Oil and Gas Skills Gaps
A new approach to tackling the need to attract thousands of new recruits into the oil and gas industry has been unveiled by sector skills body OPITO. OPITO said it is responding to the need for a less fragmented approach to the skills issue with a £1.2million annual investment that will result in the creation of the first ever national oil and gas skills agenda. The move will see six jobs created immediately, based within OPITO’s headquarters at Portlethen, Aberdeen, with further recruitment likely in the coming months. “Despite significant investment largely from industry, but more recently from government, and a raft of private and public initiatives, we are still not properly addressing the skills challenges in oil and gas.
OPITO Launches New Research Project
Oil and gas industry skills body OPITO has commissioned a new study which aims to identify the skills and competence gaps in offshore supervisors and how this impacts on the prevention of major safety incidents. Researchers at Robert Gordon University are undertaking in-depth interviews with current, former and retired offshore installation managers (OIMs) with extensive experience of working in the UK Continental Shelf to gain their insights into the influence of managerial commitment to safety in the offshore industry. The announcement follows last week's comments by industry leaders at the Oil and Gas U.K. breakfast that the shortage of experienced staff is potentially jeopardizing the North Sea’s world-leading safety standards as the sector prepares for its biggest boom for 30 years.
