The Energy Transition Depends On Skills Transferability
31st August 2023
Talent will be discussed throughout Offshore Europe. There is ample scope for skills transferability but don’t take it for granted warns Cammy Keith, employers must provide a compelling reason for workers to leave oil and gas.
It has been reported that the energy transition workforce will be bigger than the UK offshore energy workforce and that 90% of the UK’s oil and gas workers have medium to high skills transferability. Despite this compatibility, it’s anticipated that recruitment will become more competitive, and with job content evolving through digital transformation, business leaders are being forced to consider recruitment more strategically.
Cammy Keith, senior business manager at TMM Recruitment, said: “The nature of design, engineering, manufacture, and maintenance work offers plenty of scope for transferability from oil and gas. There must be a convincing reason to leave oil and gas though, some people will be drawn by the nature of the work, culture, and environmental contributions while for others pay and benefits must be comparable.
“Transferability is a two-way street, and the experience gained in renewables can be applied in oil and gas and this adaptability could be incredibly valuable to candidates. Deploying people where their abilities contribute most significantly could lead to employers adopting new working styles, for example, sharing workers with project partners; working across different projects simultaneously, and highly experienced professionals mentoring less experienced members of the team.
“Currently, there’s high demand for planners and project managers, and candidates with a subsea background are particularly attractive to prospective employers. Fortunately, transferability is not restricted to niche skills. Communication, analysis, and collaboration skills are frequently sought after and there’s a growing number of jobs for experienced candidates in finance, IT, QHSE, and supply chain. There’s an opportunity to recruit people with diverse backgrounds and diversity of thought into the industry – if employers can attract them with compelling career opportunities.”
This commentary first appeared in the Sept 2023 Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce Business Bulletin.
