New oil and gas academy

The oil and gas industry is to set up a new academy to help secure a workforce to sustain the long-term future of the UK continental shelf (UKCS).

The academy will officially be known as the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), The Oil and Gas Academy. It will be funded by industry to provide support for UK oil and gas employers making investments in workforce development.

The UK’s energy minister, Malcolm Wicks, said: ‘It is essential that a workforce with the right skills and experience is maintained so that this vital industry can continue to make a significant contribution to energy production in the UK and to the export of oilfield goods and services around the world.’

The academy combines the financial resources of the Offshore Training Foundation (OTF) and the expertise of the Aberdeen-based OPITO team. It will work with schools, colleges and universities on a shared agenda of encouraging greater uptake of mathematics, science and engineering subjects.