Production Services Network Re-engineers the Solution

Aberdeen based Production Services Network (PSN) is leading an innovative career conversion programme intended to address the demographic imbalance in the oil and gas industry. Skills shortages, an increasingly ageing workforce and negative perceptions have dogged the industry for a number of years. RE-ENGINEER has been launched to help provide a solution to these problems.

The RE-ENGINEER programme provides the means to fast-track highly skilled, armed forces, utilities and manufacturing personnel into the industry. The programme has extensive cross-industry support from the ECITB (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board); ASET (Aberdeen Skills and Enterprise Training) and the Ministry of Defence Career Transition Partnership (CTP). Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited, a key PSN customer and the UK based subsidiary of Nexen Inc, a Canadian-based global energy company, is the first and primary sponsor of the programme. A number of other North Sea operators are also involved.

Candidates entering the programme have limited or no hydrocarbon experience but possess excellent technical skills. As a formal training package, RE-ENGINEER addresses candidates' skills gaps by providing a combination of practical training and theory classroom-based learning over a 16 week period.

The first RE-ENGINEER programme began on Monday 8th May in Aberdeen with 24 candidates taking part. Once the onshore training is complete, trainees will then progress to their offshore training with Nexen and other North Sea operators.

"This programme provides the means to fast-track highly skilled technical people into the oil and gas industry," says Ian Sharp, UK operations director for Nexen Petroleum. "The North Sea is a key growth area for us. Finding competent, well trained people is the key to building a sustainable business here – which is why we are providing the offshore training element of the programme for 11 of the 24 trainees. We chose to sponsor RE-ENGINEER because we can see its potential to alleviate the skills shortages and demographic imbalance inherent in our industry."

"RE-ENGINEER is an innovative initiative which takes a proactive approach to addressing some of the skills shortages that we and our industry face," says Peter Brown, PSN's UK operations director. "Our business is dependent on having the right people with the right skills. RE-ENGINEER is a unique initiative providing trainees with substantial offshore training and coaching, not just classroom training, which will help to develop the specific practical competencies needed in an offshore environment. I am excited about RE-ENGINEER," adds Peter. "I believe that it has the potential to set new industry standards for recruitment and training, not just in the UK, but globally too."

Find out more about
Production Services Network (PSN)
ECITB (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board)
ASET (Aberdeen Skills and Enterprise Training)
CTP (Career Transition Partnership)
RFEA and OA (The Regular Forces Employment Association and the Officers' Association)

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Posted 08/06/06

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