The UK oil and gas industry will have to prepare for a shift in skills requirements over the next 6 years. Action will have to be taken to “retain, retrain, recruit, and renew” the oil and gas workforce.
These findings were among many others revealed by a recently released report, Skills Landscape 2019-25, compiled by energy skills organization OPITO. A part of the group’s UKCS Workforce Dynamics research series, the report said that “technology advances, internationalization, and the transition to a lower-carbon future are accelerating changing skills demands” in the oil and gas industry. The report was led by OPITO in a partnership with Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Oil & Gas Institute.
“It is expected that around 80% of the current workforce will still be working within the industry in 2025, taking into account natural attrition and retirement,” the report said. “The opportunity to retain these skills, as well as upskill and reskill the workforce as the industry adapts to take advantage of new technologies and different ways of working, is substantial.”
Future roles
OPITO estimates that in the next 6 years, the UK oil and gas industry will need to attract 25,000 new workers. About 4,500 of these, it said, “will be into completely new roles that do not currently exist in areas such as data science, automation, and new materials.”
Workers will find themselves with future roles that may include titles such as “artificial intelligence business developer,” “virtual reality journey-builder,” and “3D material scientist,” OPITO said.
OPITO’s report—which was built on four components: retain, retrain, recruit, and renew—was designed to help the UK oil and gas business “develop an increasingly flexible, multiskilled, and technology-enabled workforce.”
OPITO’s study produced a “route map” to assist companies and other organizations deliver on certain targeted actions. This map includes activities such as “developing new education and training courses, technology-focused apprenticeships, and initiatives that support future recruitment and skills diversity,” the study said.
“Oil and gas skills requirements are changing rapidly. Equipping the current workforce with the skills to adapt to this dynamic business environment is essential and work needs to begin right away,” said Mark Cullens, director of strategic engagement at OPITO.
Cullens noted, “We have the potential to leverage UK skills and capabilities around the world, but close collaboration and partnership is needed to make an effective and lasting impact.”
Other findings
Other key findings from the report include:
• About 28% of workers’ time is currently spent on repetitive, transactional activities that are more likely to become automated. “Upskilling and reskilling the current workforce will enable people to carry out their role more efficiently and prepare them for different tasks and responsibilities,” the report said.
• There is a need to upskill the industry’s leadership and management functions to ensure informed decision-making with respect to technology adoption and change management.
• The way in which the workforce wants to learn and develop new skills is changing. “New training methods such as virtual and augmented reality, simulation, and situational analysis are becoming the preferred learning method,” the report said.
“The digital transformation of the energy sector is already under way and we are beginning to see a real change in requirements to support this,” said Paul de Leeuw, professor and director of RGU’s Oil & Gas Institute. “With a substantial proportion of the existing workforce to be upskilled and with over 25,000 new people entering the industry by 2025, we have a tremendous opportunity to ensure the UK retains its position as a world-class basin for energy skills,” he said.
“There is real prize here for the UK and there is a collective responsibility to future-proof the skills and capabilities in the sector,” de Leeuw said.