Thanks to an aging workforce that’s rapidly approaching retirement the oil and gas sector is in search of new blood, but it’s having a hard time finding that.
The sector, which is a major contributor to the British economy, is encountering what’s normally called a ‘knowledge cliff.’ The older workers that have all the skills and experience that’s been accumulated over the years or even decades in the industry are leaving the industry, and while there’s a serious recruitment drive for not just permanent employees but freelancers, umbrella company contractors, and other self-employed Brits, the bare truth of the matter is that not nearly as many Brits are going into the STEM subject as they used to.
The industry is, in essence, completely scrambling to keep up at this point. The Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation, a major trade industry body for the oil and gas sector, is doing its level best to drum up interest and support; their latest attempt is to launch something it’s calling the National Oil and Gas Skills Week sometime in the future.
For what it’s worth, this may not be such a bad idea on the part of OPITO. Raising awareness as to what an oil and gas sector career can provide workers could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to renewing interest in the flagging industry. The trade industry body says it’s confident that it will be able to showcase the benefits and advantages of just such a career choice – and Business Secretary Vince Cable has already placed his imprimatur on the project as a tacit approval on the part of the Government. Energy independence is rather high up on Westminster’s goals for the UK, and a strong oil and gas sector will help to achieve those goals in a major way.
Personally I can only hope that OPITO’s confidence in its ability to paint oil and gas sector careers in a positive, attractive light is as successful as possible. The sector is a major contributor to the economic recovery, and I’d rather see the British economy firing on all cylinders instead of stalling out because there simply aren’t enough people excited about going into this challenging yet highly rewarding field.
