OPITO’s Oil and Gas Industry Awareness Programme comes to Plymouth Army Base

OPITO, the skills organisation for oil and gas, will engage with soon-to-exit service personnel in Plymouth today (Monday, February 17th) providing an insight into the energy industry and the types of job roles relevant to those with a Forces background.

With the spotlight firmly on strengthening direct links between industry and its potential talent pool, ex-military at the Regional Resettlement Centre, HM Naval Base Devonport, will be given an overview of the oil and gas sector, as well as details of oil and gas related job roles matching their existing experience and skills.

The one-day event will provide servicemen and women with information on a number of topics including the drilling process, the different types of rigs and platforms, transportation, pipeline management and the decommissioning process.

The event is aimed at addressing the oil and gas industry’s critical need to recruit skilled engineers, technicians for both on and offshore positions, as well as support roles such as project management and logistics.

This is just one of OPITO’s Oil and Gas Industry Awareness programmes this year.

OPITO skills development director Morven Spalding said: “These on-site military events are proving to be a huge success with a high attendance. They provide guidance to those about to leave the Forces towards areas of the oil and gas industry best suited to their current MoD roles, experience and capabilities which may never cross their minds otherwise.

“We want to make sure that these highly skilled individuals are aware of what’s available out there in oil and gas, both onshore and offshore, and how they can transfer their skills and knowledge across into a sector which is crying out for people with a certain level of experience and training.”

OPITO has been working closely with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to raise awareness of the long-term career opportunities the oil and gas industry offers those leaving the Forces.

CTP managing director David Duffy said: “The Armed Forces equips its employees with a high degree of professionalism and a wide range of skills, including technical expertise, vocational qualifications, health and safety, leadership and management and team working. We are delighted to be working with OPITO to promote opportunities in the oil and gas sector and in turn help organisations seeking to recruit highly skilled and capable candidates.”

Paul Hunter, a petty officer engineering technician who attended a similar event which took place in Rosyth, Scotland, in December said: “It was definitely a huge eye opener into the amount of work involved within the oil and gas industry and gave a very good insight into where I could find employment within the sector. Working with the strategic weapons on board submarines, my main trade is electrical and electronics. I also have experience with pneumatics and hydraulics and believe my skills could be easily transferable to working with the subsea technologies from operating and maintenance.

“The opportunities are vast as was explained, with many onshore jobs supporting a single offshore job. The professional attitude that was portrayed throughout the presentation has given me inspiration to seek employment within the industry.”

OPITO has plans to engage with exiting personnel during 2014, visiting five other military sites in the UK.