Why scalable training is key to the new increase in oil & gas production

The whirlwind effects of the war in Ukraine have brought about a sharp sea change in the UK’s domestic energy landscape. With the controversial Cambo field off Shetland now set to be developed, and operators once again being encouraged to increase production, industry is once again facing a shortage of skilled workers.

A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently highlighted the limitations in options for replacing Russian crude and other oil products to meet the nearly 100mmb/d projected demand this year. Indeed, the UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnston, has said that the UK needs greater self-sufficiency in its energy sources – unsurprising, given that last year the UK met only 40% of its gas demand from domestic production.

It was no surprise to learn that a licensing round for new North Sea oil and gas projects is planned to launch in the autumn, with a new taskforce providing bespoke support to new developments – recognising the importance of these fuels to the UK’s energy security, and that producing gas in the UK has a lower carbon footprint than when imported from abroad.

While this sudden change of momentum has been widely reported and debated, oil and gas operators face a significant staff and training challenge to meet these new demands. After a major exodus of experienced workers during lockdown, industry faces an uphill struggle. It not only needs to recruit from a talent pool that is increasingly reluctant to return to what’s seen as a volatile sector, but  companies must also upskill personnel with technical, safety-critical training.

The challenges are not all new. Demand for technical skills including engineering qualifications and experience have for some time been outstripping supply, meaning increasing staff costs. The industry’s skills shortage and its consequent costs make it all the more important that high quality training be not only scalable, but cost-effective too.

In order to tackle this challenge head-on, we must change the way we think about training provision. As the pandemic was a catalyst to embrace digitalisation of many business practices, the pressing skills shortage must force us to fully embrace digitalisation of training, making it vastly more accessible, engaging and affordable. Auditable, high quality digital training provides a clear solution that can be easily scaled to respond to sudden changes in production needs.

Oil and gas technical training is not without its challenges – its needs are highly specialised, since the sector operates on necessarily high levels of standards, particularly when it comes to safety and major accident prevention. As an industry, we therefore rely upon quality training that consistently promotes and enforces those standards.

E-learning platforms like Norwell EDGE can be instantly scaled up, from small teams to a global scale, providing access to a suite of learning material and modules that can be assigned to provide technical knowledge specific to job role, or ensure a wide understanding of safety-critical concepts. This approach allows employers to ramp up and deliver training to new or existing staff in a consistent and cost effective manner, removing reliance upon time-consuming and expensive training days that have traditionally been the sector’s go-to method of training provision.

With new staff on the way for many operators, ensuring learning is delivered effectively will be central to training choices. Digital training methods are proven to boost retention of knowledge from courses by more than 50%. By providing continuous, bite-sized content, information is reinforced and remembered simply by sharing it in different ways, with no overload. With content that blends animations, quizzes, videos and 3D virtual scenarios and more than 70 technical training modules, you can learn more about Norwell EDGE digital training here.

Our technical e-learning modules are built around OEUK standards and allow employers to track, audit and assess individual learning, to ensure key information has been understood and retained. Providing continuous training of this kind to the entire workforce, not only new recruits or those deemed ‘business critical’ at a particular time is critical to withstanding unexpected ups and downs, while giving workers a platform to learn skills that can be applied around the world and operate safely in a high-risk sector.