FEATURE: SURVIVEX
Words: Jenny Davidson, Business Development Manager
M
edia attention which has focused on the UK oil and gas industry has been rife with recent reports of an impending skills shortage set to cripple the sector. In a bid to combat this problem, a north east training company has launched a project which aims to encourage youngsters to recognise the career potential that exists within the energy industry.
Survivex Ltd, a health and safety training provider based in Dyce, Aberdeen, launched Survivex for Schools earlier this summer and welcomed the first wave of participants in September. The initiative sees groups of pupils visit the facility for an interactive tour of its survival and industrial skills training areas. The project has been rolled out to schools across Aberdeen City and Shire and has been welcomed by education chiefs.
Survivex for Schools comes at a crisis point in UK oil and gas. A recent study by PWC identified that 120,000 new recruits are required to enter the industry by 2022. The sector is facing the reality of an ageing work-force; with many skilled individuals due to reach retirement age in the next few years and too few trainees with the correct skills emerging. Couple that with a serious shortfall of women in the sector and it points directly to a recruitment and training issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
The reasons for this remain unclear. Possibly it’s a direct result of the long held belief that North Sea oil reserves are in decline. The uncertainty of the lifespan of a chosen career may well discourage potential recruits from entering a declining sector. However, this myth is now disputed and examples of widespread investment in the area point to the contrary. For example, Apache is installing a satellite production platform that will extend the life of the Forties field by 20 years. And this is backed up by China’s intention to enter the North Sea, among other areas, with the reported acquisition of Nexen by CNNOC. Stories such as these do not point to a diminishing industry.
The notion that work offshore is dirty and unglamorous remains strong and there seems to be little understanding of the variety of job roles open to individuals entering oil and gas. Ensuring that pupils go away with a better understanding of the positions that exist is a key aim of Survivex for Schools.
In addition to this the amount of time spent away from home and the perceived
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dangers of both helicopter travel and life offshore prevents this being an attractive career prospect for many potential recruits. Disasters such as Piper Alpha and the more recent Super Puma crash live long in people’s memories and undoubtedly have a negative effect on those considering a career offshore. And finally the lack of pupils, particularly females, choosing the stem subjects which include science, technical engineering, and maths has a direct impact on the talent pool available for the oil and gas sector.
‘Survivex for Schools aims to educate pupils as to the job opportunities available as well as giving them an insight into what to expect from the training they would be required to undertake before embarking on an offshore career.’
The team behind Survivex for Schools dispute these beliefs; ‘The oil and gas industry in the North Sea clearly isn’t in decline,’ comments Jenny Davidson, Business Development Manager at Survivex, ‘OPITO recently reported that 10,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the industry over the next 5 years so opportunities exist in this sector where they don’t in others. Couple that with the time off that many offshore workers enjoy, the prospect of international travel and the high wages that prevail across the sector and there’s no doubt that school pupils wouldn’t go far wrong to consider a job in oil and gas. The industry has also learnt from the mistakes of the past and the health and safety culture that now exists is unrivalled by other sectors.’
Survivex for Schools aims to educate pupils as to the job opportunities available as well as giving them an insight into what to expect from the training they would be required to undertake before embarking on an offshore
career. Pupils receive an extensive welcome brief in which they are given an overview of offshore life and job role descriptions. This is followed with a tour of the training areas where they are given a demonstration of the helicopter underwater escape trainer and also get to experience North Sea storm conditions in the environmental effects simulator which recreates wind, waves and rain. Moving on from the survival area, the pupils try their hand at simple rigging lifts and get to sit in the helicopter which is used to transport personnel offshore in the Far East.
‘Survivex has recently celebrated its first birthday and following the success we’ve enjoyed we pledged to give back to the community that has served us so well’ Jenny continues. ‘Increasingly schools are looking for alternative exit routes for pupils at a time when headlines are rife with news of jobless figures and economic depression. But equally there is this huge shortage of recruits entering our industry. Through Survivex for Schools we hope to bridge this gap.’
Currently two school groups have completed the experience with another three booked in for this term. ‘The first pupils have been higher chemistry students so are ideally suited to undertake our tour. They are on the right path for entering the oil industry and we’re just trying to ensure that they continue in this direction.’
‘These first tours have been very successful and we’ve had excellent feedback. Getting them involved in activities holds their attention and by including some exciting elements such as the environmental effects, we’ve really captured their imagination. I ask the same question at the beginning and the end of the experience. Who is considering a career in the oil and gas industry? I’m pleased to say that a number of pupils have reconsidered their future following our tour.’
Currently the initiative is open to students of S4 and above. However, Survivex plans to lower the participation age next year. Jenny concludes ‘We’ve limited it to the older pupils while we’re finding our feet. But it’s important to catch children before they make their subject choices so we’re very aware that this scheme will be even more beneficial to younger pupils. We want as many youngsters as possible to participate in the project and hope that through Survivex for Schools we can go some way towards making an impact on the long-term future of North Sea oil and gas as a whole.’
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